EDWAR] 
STRATEME 


^4A^u^t^~y^[(Xr^ 


>>v^  <L  /  <?// 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00025764021 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://archive.org/details/underscottinmexiOOstra 


UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 


EDWARD    STRATEMEYER'S    BOOKS 
@U>  (^lorrj  SStxitQ 

Sz'jc  Volumes.     Cloth.     Illustrated.     Price  per  volume  $1.25. 
UNDER    DEWEY   AT    MANILA.  UNDER    OTIS    IN    THE   PHILIPPINES. 

A   YOUNG    VOLUNTEER    IN    CUBA.  THE    CAMPAIGN    OF   THE   JUNGLE. 

FIGHTING    IN    CUBAN    WATERS.  UNDER    MacARTHUR  IN    LUZON. 

Stottuerg  at  jfortuw  Sertcg 

Cloth.     Illustrated.     Price  per  volume  $1.25. 
ON    TO    PEKIN.  AT  THE   FALL  OF   PORT  ARTHUR. 

UNDER    THE   MIKADO'S    FLAG.        WITH    TOGO    FOR  JAPAN. 

Colonial  Serteg 

Cloth.     Illustrated.     Price  per  volume  $1.25. 
WITH    WASHINGTON    IN    THE   WEST.        THE    FORT    IN    THE  WILDERNESS. 
MARCHING    ON    NIAGARA.  ON    THE   TRAIL  OF   PONTIAC. 

AT  THE   FALL   OF   MONTREAL.  TRAIL  AND   TRADING    POST. 

JrToican  SHar  Srrieg 

Cloth.     Illustrated.     Price  per  volume  $1.25. 

FOR   THE    LIBERTY   OF   TEXAS.  WITH    TAYLOR    ON  THE  RIO  GRANDE. 

UNDER    SCOTT    IN   MEXICO. 

■pan=2lmEricart  Series 

Cloth.     Illustrated.     Price  per  volume  $1.25. 

LOST  ON   THE   ORINOCO.  YOUNG  EXPLORERS  OF  THE  ISTHMUS. 

THE  YOUNG  VOLCANO  EXPLORERS.     YOUNG  EXPLORERS  OF  THE  AMAZON. 

TREASURE   SEEKERS    OF   THE  ANDES. 

©aoe  potter  Serfeg 

Cloth.     Illustrated.     Price  per  volume  $1.25. 
DAVE    PORTER    AT   OAK    HALL.  DAVE  PORTER'S  RETURN  TO  SCHOOL. 

DAVE  PORTER  IN  THE  SOUTH  SEAS.     DAVE  PORTER  IN  THE  FAR  NORTH. 
DAVE  PORTER  AND  HIS  CLASSMATES. 

SLaneport  Scrtcg 

Cloth.     Illustrated.     Price  per  volume  $1.25. 
THE  GUN  CLUB  BOYS  OF  LAKEPORT.    TH  E  BOAT  CLUB  BOYS  OF  LAKEPORT. 
THE  BASEBALL  BOYS  OF  LAKEPORT.     THE  FOOT  BALL  BOYS  OF  LAKEPORT. 

American  ISogg'  Biographical  &zxic& 

Cloth.  Illustrated.  Price  per  volume  $1.2$. 
AMERICAN  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  WILLIAM  McKINLEY. 
AMERICAN    BOYS'    LIFE   OF  THEODORE   ROOSEVELT. 

iStratemeger  popular  .Scries 

Twelve  Volumes.     Cloth.     Illustrated.     Price  per  volume  $0.75. 

TWO   YOUNG    LUMBERMEN.     Price  $1.25. 
BETWEEN    BOER    AND    BRITON.     Price  $1.25. 
DEFENDING    HIS    FLAG.     Price  $1.50. 


UP    WENT    DAN    TO    THE    TOP,    WITH    POKE    NOT    FAR    BELOW 
HIM  " 


sfcS 


S^/vp^ey* 


r 


flfcerjcan  TIClat  Series 


UNDER    SCOTT    IN    MEXICO 


BY 


EDWAED     STRATEMEYER 

Author  of  "  For  the  Liberty  of  Texas,"  "  With  Taylor  on  the  Rio  Grande,' 

"Dave  Porter  Series,"  "  Old  Glory  Series,"  "Pan-American  Series," 

"  Lakeport  Series,"  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED   BY  J.    J.    MORA 


*M 


3M  *  <* 


p-t> 


gg         1804         'M' 

P*i\  Mr01K 
No     YB1  TAW 


BOSTON 
LOTHROP,  LEE  &  SHEPARD  CO. 


Copyright,  1902,  by  Dana  Estes  &  Company 
Copyright,  1909,  by  Lothrop,  Lee  &  Shepard  Co. 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Under  Scott  in  Mexico 


Set  up  and  Electrotyped  by  Colonial  Press,  Boston 


Printed  by  Berwick  &  Smith  Co.,  Norwood 


PREFACE 

"Under  Scott  in  Mexico"  is  a  complete  story 
in  itself,  but  forms  the  third  and  last  volume  of  a 
line  known  under  the  general  title  of  the  "  Mexican 
War  Series." 

In  the  first  volume,  entitled  "  For  the  Liberty 
of  Texas,"  we  followed  the  adventures  of  the  Rad- 
bury  boys,  Dan  and  Ralph,  and  their  father  and 
friends  through  the  exciting  and  adventurous  days 
when  the  Lone  Star  State  proclaimed  its  independ- 
ence and  fought  for  that  independence  against  its 
mother  country,  Mexico. 

It  was  not  long  after  this  that  Texas  joined  the 
United  States.  The  feeling  in  Mexico  was  very 
bitter,  and  a  dispute  over  the  southern  boundary 
line  of  Texas  soon  brought  on  a  war  which,  at  this 
latter  day,  seems  hardly  justified,  but  which  was, 
nevertheless,  fought  with  valor  upon  both  sides. 
The  real  opening  of  the  contest  was  along  the  Rio 
Grande  River,  and  in  the  second  volume  of  our 
series,  called  "Under  Taylor  on  the  Rio  Grande," 
were  given  details  of  General  Taylor's  campaign 


VI  PREFACE 

along  the  river,  at  Palo  Alto,  Resaca  de  la  Palma, 
Matamoras,  the  storming  of  Monterey,  and  the 
never-to-be-forgotten  victory  at  Buena  Vista,  — 
which  was  one  of  the  means  of  elevating  this 
excellent  commander  to  the  Presidency  of  our 
country. 

The  government  at  Washington  now  planned  a 
decisive  blow.  This  was  nothing  less  than  the 
sending  of  a  large  army  to  land  at  Vera  Cruz  and 
march  directly  upon  the  City  of  Mexico,  the 
capital.  Many  of  the  soldiers  under  General 
Taylor  were  transferred  to  General  Scott's  com- 
mand, including  the  Radburys  and  their  faithful 
old  frontier  friend,  Poke  Stover ;  and  in  this 
volume  we  follow  their  fortunes  through  the  bom- 
bardment and  capture  of  Vera  Cruz,  the  taking  of 
the  strongly  fortified  and  almost  impassable  moun- 
tain pass,  Cerro  Gordo,  the  capture  of  Puebla,  and 
other  engagements  leading  up  to  the  glorious 
storming  of  the  heights  of  Chapultepec  and  the 
downfall  of  the  Mexican  stronghold. 

In  bringing  this  series  to  a  close  the  author  can- 
not refrain  from  uttering  a  word  of  thanks  to  the 
many  young  people  who  have  received  the  former 
volumes    with  such    apparent    favor. 

Edward  Stratemeyer. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I.  Introducing  Dan  and  Ralph 

II.  Out  on  the  River. 

III.  Poke  Stover  to  the  Rescue 

IV.  Something  about  Juan  the  Giant 
V.  The  Old  Mexican  Woman    . 

VI.  A  Brush  with  the  Enemy    . 

VII.  The  Castle  in  the  Mountains    . 

VIII.  Dan  among  the  Cacti  . 

IX.  Ordered  Forward 

X.  General  Winfield  Scott 

XI.  An  Enemy  on  Shipboard 

XII.  Landing  at  Vera  Cruz 

XIII.  Ralph's  Hiding -Place  . 

XIV.  An  Interesting  Conversation 
XV.  Close  Quarters      .... 

XVI.  Dan's  Unusual  Experience  . 

XVII.  In  the  Guard -Tent 

XVIII.  Poke  Plays  the  Spy 

XIX.  The  Result  of  Cannon  Fire 

XX.  A  Hearing  before  General  Scott 

XXI.  Dan's  Quick  Move 

XXII.  In  the  Streets  of  Vera  Cruz    . 

XXIII.  Dwight  Pellingham's  Confession 

XXIV.  The  Human  Melons 
XXV.  Back  to  the  Ranks 


PAGB 
II 
21 
31 

41 

5° 
60 
70 
79 


107 
116 
125 
134 

143 
153 
162 
170 
178 
186 

195 
203 
212 
221 

230 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXVI.  The  Battle  of  Cerro  Gordo   .        .  238 

XXVII.  Marching   through  the   Mountains  247 

XXVIII.  In  Which  a  Deserter  Falls     .        .  255 

XXIX.  Last  Battles  of  the  Campaign        .  265 

XXX.  The  Fall  of  the  City  —  Conclusion  275 


°c 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGB 

"  Up  went   Dan   to   the  top,  with   Poke  not 

far  below  him"      ....        Frontispiece 

"The  Mexican  officer  .  .  .  flourished  a  pis- 
tol UNDER  HIS  VERY  NOSE  TO  EMPHASIZE  THE 
COMMAND" 68 

"  The  horse  seemed  to  be  glad  to  meet  a 
human    being,    and    did    not    attempt    to 

RUN    AWAY  " 86 

"The  vaquero  .  .  .  leaped   on   the  animal's 

back,  and  rode  off  " 1 35 

"•Sit  still,  senor'" 137 

Poke's  Encounter  with  the  Mexican  Hornets  180 

"They  darted  into  the  open  doorway"         .  213 

Juan  the  Giant  and  Toletto  Captured  .        .  282 


UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCING    DAN    AND    RALPH 

"  It  looks  like  a  heavy  storm  to  me,  Dan." 

"  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  you  were  right,  Ralph. 
It's  been  blowing  up  for  several  days,  and  we  know 
by  former  experience  what  a  heavy  blow  along  the 
Rio  Grande  means.  It  will  uproot  a  few  trees, 
even  if  it's  no  worse." 

"  It's  a  pity  we  missed  the  road  the  rest  of  the 
soldiers  took." 

"  Pooh  !  that's  of  no  consequence.  They  can't 
be  far  off,  and  besides  we  know  the  way  down  to 
Matamoras  well  enough.  Only  I  do  wish  Poke 
Stover  was  with  us,  —  he's  always  such  good  com- 
pany." 

"  Poke  was  sent  off  early  in  the  morning  on  a 
special     errand  —  something   about     the    supply- 


12  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

wagons.  General  Scott  sent  word  that  they  must 
get  down  to  the  boats  without  delay.  I  reckon  the 
general  is  in  a  hurry  to  strike  Vera  Cruz,  or  some 
other  point  along  the  coast." 

"  He's  going  to  strike  for  the  City  of  Mexico 
itself,"  returned  the  older  of  the  two  Radbury 
boys  —  if  Dan,  with  his  advancing  years,  can  still 
be  called  a  boy.  "  He  knows  that  General  Taylor 
has  struck  terror  to  the  Mexican  heart  by  his  bril- 
liant victories  in  this  section  of  the  country,  and 
there  is  nothing  like  going  after  the  enemy  when 
you  have  him  on  the  run,  as  the  saying  goes." 

"That's  true.  But  if  he  strikes  at  Vera  Cruz 
I  don't  believe  he'll  have  any  walkover.  Captain 
Bardock  once  told  me  that  that  place  was  very 
well  fortified,  and  had  a  fortified  island  just  in 
front  of  it." 

"  I  reckon  we'd  better  leave  the  conduct  of  the 
coming  campaign  to  General  Scott,  Ralph."  Dan 
gave  a  short  laugh.  "  We're  nothing  but  common 
soldiers,  you  know,  just  here  to  do  our  duty,  as  we 
may  be  ordered  to  do  it.  But  I  am  just  a  bit  curi- 
ous to  know  if  we'll  see  such  thrilling  times  as  we 
did  during  our  last  campaign.  My !  but  we  had 
lots  of  up  and  downs,  didn't  we  ?  " 

"  Do  you  think  we'll  ever  see  anything  of  that 
Juan  the  Giant  again  ?  " 


INTRODUCING  DAN  AND  RALPH  1 3 

"  I  hope  we  do  —  and  capture  him,  too.  It  isn't 
safe  to  allow  such  a  rascal  his  liberty.  I'll  never 
forget  how  he  treated  you  and  me." 

"  Nor  will  I."  There  was  a  pause  for  several 
minutes,  during  which  the  two  young  soldiers 
picked  their  way  along  the  river  trail.  "  It's 
beginning  to  rain  already.  My  !  what  big  drops ! 
We'll  have  to  get  under  shelter  or  we'll  be  wet 
to  the  skin." 

"  Right  you  are.  Yonder  is  a  clump  of  low- 
spreading  trees.  That  will  shelter  us  nicely. 
Come !  "  And  side  by  side  the  pair  hurried  for 
the  spot  indicated.  By  the  time  the  trees  were 
gained  the  rain  was  pouring  down  in  torrents. 

While  the  two  young  soldiers  are  awaiting  the 
letting-up  of  the  downpour,  let  us,  for  the  benefit 
of  those  who  have  not  read  the  two  former  volumes 
of  this  series,  take  a  brief  glimpse  of  the  past  and 
learn  how  it  came  that  they  were  travelling  down 
the  Rio  Grande  River  at  this  moment,  on  their  way 
to  join  the  transports  of  General  Scott  lying  off- 
shore in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Dan  and  Ralph  Radbury  were  the  only  sons  of 
Amos  Radbury,  a  widower  who  had  emigrated  to 
Texas  years  before,  when  that  vast  territory  still 
formed  a  portion  of  Mexican  soil.  Dan,  who  was 
now  in  his   twenties,  was  the   older  of   the  pair, 


14  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

while  Ralph,  his  dearly  beloved  brother,  was  six 
years  his  junior. 

Settling  down  in  Texas  at  that  time,  when  the 
country  was  overrun  with  treacherous  Indians, 
Mexican  horse  thieves,  and  desperadoes  from 
everywhere,  had  been  no  easy  matter,  and  in  the 
first  volume  of  the  series,  entitled  "  For  the  Liberty 
of  Texas,"  I  have  told  of  many  of  the  trials  which 
the  Radburys  encountered,  and  what  they  and 
their  faithful  old  frontier  friend,  Poke  Stover,  the 
Missourian,  had  to  do  in  order  to  obtain  and  hold 
their  rights.  This  was  at  the  time  when  Texas 
struck  for  liberty,  and  in  the  perilous  battles  to 
follow  our  friends  went  to  the  front  and  did  their 
duty  to  the  best  of  their  ability. 

The  freedom  of  the  Lone  Star  State  having  been 
assured,  a  season  of  comparative  peace  followed, 
and  the  boys  went  back  to  their  ranch  home,  there 
to  till  the  soil  and  raise  cattle  as  before.  Amos 
Radbury  had  been  wounded  at  the  battle  of  San 
Jacinto,  and  in  those  days  could  do  but  little,  so 
the  management  of  the  place  fell  largely  upon 
Dan's  shoulders,  with  the  ever-faithful  Poke  Stover 
close  at  hand  to  give  aid  when  needed. 

As  most  of  my  young  readers  must  know,  Texas 
did  not  remain  an  independent  State  long.  She 
applied  for  admission  into  our  own  glorious  Union, 


INTRODUCING   DAN  AND   RALPH  1 5 

and  so  came  under  the  protection  of  the  stars  and 
stripes. 

The  bitter  feeling  between  the  Texans  and 
Mexicans  was  increased  by  Texas  joining  the 
United  States,  and  it  was  not  long  before  a  quarrel 
arose  concerning  the  southern  boundary  of  Texas, 
Mexico  claiming  the  Nueces  River  should  mark 
the  dividing-line,  and  Texas  claiming  the  territory 
to  the  Rio  Grande  River,  about  a  hundred  and 
twenty-five  miles  farther  south.  This  brought  on 
the  war  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico, 
and  in  the  second  volume  of  the  series,  entitled 
"With  Taylor  on  the  Rio  Grande,"  I  related  how 
Dan  and  Ralph,  along  with  Poke  and  other  friends, 
joined  the  army,  to  participate  in  the  battles  of 
Palo  Alto,  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  Matamoras,  Mon- 
terey, and  other  struggles  of  less  note,  leading  up 
to  the  final  triumph  that  gave  to  General  Taylor 
so  much  of  honor  that  it  was  the  ultimate  means  of 
placing  him  in  the  Presidential  chair. 

The  fall  of  Monterey  brought  a  short  period  of 
rest  to  Dan,  Ralph,  and  Poke  Stover,  and  the  rest 
was  well  deserved.  The  young  soldiers  had  with 
them  the  son  of  a  neighbor,  Oliver  Fielding,  whose 
eyesight  had  been  injured  in  one  of  the  battles. 
They  did  their  best  for  Ollie,  as  they  called  him, 
until  Mr.  Fielding    came    down    from    his  ranch, 


1 6  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

procured  Oliver's  discharge  from  the  army,  and 
took  his  son  home. 

While  with  the  army  under  General  Taylor,  ad- 
ventures in  plenty  had  come  to  both  Dan  and  Ralph, 
not  the  least  of  which  was  a  brush  with  one  Juan 
Badillo,  better  known  as  Juan  the  Giant  because  of 
his  height,  an  old-time  horse  thief  and  general  all- 
around  rascal,  who  had  at  one  time  and  another 
given  the  Radburys  and  their  neighbors  a  good 
deal  of  trouble.  The  last  time  Ralph  and  Oliver 
Fielding  had  met  Juan,  the  giant  had  got  the  best 
of  them  and  robbed  them  of  all  they  possessed. 
Dan  had  later  on  encountered  the  thief,  but, 
although  the  young  soldier  prevented  Badillo  from 
committing  another  robbery  during  the  attack  on 
the  city  of  Monterey,  he  was  unable  to  capture  the 
fellow.  Juan  the  Giant  was  now  at  large,  and  what 
had  become  of  him  nobody  knew. 

With  the  fall  of  Monterey  Mexico  received  an 
almost  fatal  blow,  but  the  United  States  authorities 
realized  that  much  had  still  to  be  done  ere  the 
enemy  could  be  brought  to  total  submission.  At 
this  time  the  Mexican  government  was  having 
something  of  a  revolution  within  itself,  and  General 
Scott,  knowing  that  the  time  to  strike  was  when 
the  enemy  was  in  a  "  mix-up  "  regarding  what  it 
had  best  do,  determined  to  march  upon  the  capital 


INTRODUCING  DAN  AND  RALPH  17 

of  Mexico  without  further  delay.  Accordingly  he 
ordered  a  part  of  the  army  under  General  Taylor 
to  join  his  own  forces,  now  on  transports  and  war- 
ships lying  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Rio  Grande.  Once  these  soldiers  had 
joined  him,  he  intended  to  strike  a  blow  at  Vera 
Cruz,  on  the  gulf  shore,  and  due  east  from  Mexico 
City.  He  felt  sure  that  he  could  capture  Vera 
Cruz  by  a  vigorous  bombardment,  and  this  accom- 
plished, he  intended  to  push  westward  persistently 
and  vigorously. 

From  Monterey  the  commands  to  which  Dan, 
Ralph,  and  Poke  Stover  belonged  had  taken  their 
way  down  the  San  Juan  River  to  the  Rio  Grande. 
It  was  still  early  in  the  year  1847,  and  the  weather 
was  anything  but  settled.  There  would  be  a  few 
days  of  fair  weather,  and  then  either  a  heavy  rain- 
storm, or  a  screaming  "  norther  "  which  would  chill 
the  soldiers  to  the  very  marrow  of  their  bones. 
Provisions  were  not  over  plentiful,  and  it  must  be 
confessed  that  the  march  toward  the  gulf  was  any- 
thing but  comfortable.  But  Dan  and  Ralph  had 
been  through  too  many  hardships  to  grumble,  and 
they  took  things  as  they  came  and  made  the  best 
of  them,  j 

Up  to  the  day  on  which  our  tale  opens  they  had 
been  with  the  others  of  their  commands,  but  early 


1 8  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

in  the  morning  they  had  been  detailed  to  perform 
certain  work  along  the  river  bank.  This  had  taken 
them  from  the  sight  of  the  other  soldiers,  and, 
though  the  work  was  done,  they  had  as  yet  not 
taken  the  trouble  to  rejoin  the  troops.  As  Dan 
had  said,  both  knew  the  trail  down  to  Matamoras, 
and  it  was  something  of  a  relief  to  each  to  get  out 
of  the  ranks  and  from  under  the  eyes  of  their 
superiors.  They  knew  that  at  the  most  the  other 
soldiers  could  not  be  over  a  mile  away  from 
them. 

On  the  journey  down  the  river  bank  the  evi- 
dences of  war  had  been  visible  upon  every  hand,  in 
the  shape  of  burnt  down  ranches,  abandoned  plan- 
tations, and  the  skeletons  of  innumerable  cattle 
slaughtered  for  food.  Once  they  had  visited  a 
little  hut  on  the  river  bank,  and  there  found  the 
remains  of  two  Mexican  soldiers  who,  being 
wounded,  had  crawled  to  the  shelter  to  die.  It  was 
a  truly  harrowing  sight,  and  it  even  now  made 
Ralph  shiver  as  he  recalled  it. 

"  What's  the  matter,  do  you  feel  cold  ? "  asked 
Dan. 

"Not  particularly,  although  the  wind  is  rising. 
I  was  thinking  of  that  sight  in  the  hut." 

"  Ugh !  that  was  enough  to  give  a  fellow  the 
nightmare,   wasn't    it  ?     What    an    awful    way    to 


INTRODUCING  DAN  AND  RALPH 

die  —  without  a  person  at  hand  to  give  you  eve 
drink  of  water.  And  I  suppose  they  were  just 
brave  and  loyal  to  their  country  as  any  of  « 
soldiers  are  to  our  country.  War  is  a  feai 
thing,  when  you  stop  to  think  about  it.  I'll 
glad  when  it's  all  over  and  we  can  go  back  to 
ranch." 

"We  ought  to  get  a  letter  from  home 
to-morrow  or  the  day  after,"  returned  Ralph,  g 
to  change  the  subject.  "  I  am  anxious  to  kn 
how  father  is  feeling  and  how  Ollie's  eyes  are  g 
ting  along.  It  would  be  awful  if  Ollie  should 
blind  after  all.  The  surgeon  said  his  eyes  wer 
little  worse  when  he  left." 

"  That  was  because  he  took  the  bandages  off  1 
quick.  He  was  to  keep  them  on  for  two  or  thi 
weeks  after  he  got  home.  Gracious  !  listen  to  tl 
wind !  We  are  going  to  have  a  norther  with  t' 
rain,  and  no  mistake.  Come  around  to  the  otl 
side  of  the  trees.  The  wind  is  driving  the  r; 
right  in  here." 

"  If  it's  a  norther  it  will  last  for  the  rest  of  t 
day   and  all  night,  Dan.     We'll  get  wet  and 
frozen  almost  stiff.     I  wish  there  was  some  kind 
a  house  or  hut  handy." 

"  So  do  I,  but  there  isn't,  and  grumbling  wo 
help  matters.     We  might  —  " 


20  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

Dan  broke  off  short  and  straightened  up,  at  the 
same  time  putting  his  hand  behind  his  ear. 

",,  What  did  you  hear  ?  "  demanded  his  brother. 

"  It  sounded  like  a  cry  for  help.  Listen.  There 
it  is  again  !  " 

"I  hear  it!"  exclaimed  Ralph.  "It  sounds 
like  a  woman's  voice,  too.  She's  in  some  sort 
of  trouble." 

"The  cry  came  from  the  river,  Ralph.  I'm 
going  to  see  what  it  means." 

And  unmindful  of  the  torrent  of  rain  still 
descending,  Dan  dashed  forth  in  the  direction  of 
the  stream,  and  Ralph  followed. 


CHAPTER    II. 

OUT    ON    THE    RIVER 

With  the  coming'  of  the  rain  and  the  ris 
wind,  the  sky  had  darkened  greatly,  so  the  t 
young  soldiers  could  see  but  little  as  they  dar 
through  the  grass  and  mesquite  bushes  in 
direction  where  the  swollen  Rio  Grande  rusl 
onward  toward  the  gulf. 

"Are  you  sure  of  the  direction?"  qi 
tioned  Ralph.  "This  howling  wind  may  dece 
you." 

"  I  think  I'm  right,  but  we  can  make  sure," 
plied   his  brother,  and  came  to  a  halt  while 
only    half   the    distance    to    the   river   had    b< 
covered.     "  Hark  !  " 

"There  is  the  cry  again  !  "  ejaculated  Ralpl: 
moment  later.  "  You  were  right.  It  sounds  1 
a  young  woman  who  is  calling." 

On  they  darted  once  more,  through  a  s 
where  the  bushes  were  so  thick  they  frequer 
caught    fast,  and    their    clothing    sustained    m 


22  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

than  one  rent.  But  they  did  not  think  of  torn 
clothing  just  then.  Some  one  was  in  dire  distress, 
—  a  female,  —  and  they  meant  to  do  what  they 
could  to  relieve  her.  They  had  seen  many  situa- 
tions of  peril  since  going  to  war,  and  they  realized 
that  help  must  at  times  be  given  quickly  or  it  is 
no  help  at  all. 

At  last  they  came  in  sight  of  the  muddy  and 
swollen  stream,  at  a  point  where  the  Rio  Grande 
made  a  turn  eastward.  Here  were  a  series  of 
rough  rocks,  and  beyond  it  a  muddy  flat  and  a 
creek  flowing  southward.  On  the  creek  was  an 
old  mill  which  seemed  to  be  deserted. 

"  Do  you  think  the  cry  came  from  the  mill  ? " 
questioned  Ralph,  as  he  and  his  brother  stopped 
again  in  perplexity. 

"  Perhaps.     We  might  see.     The  woman  —  " 

Dan  ceased  speaking,  for  again  the  cry  reached 
them,  but  this  time  in  a  gasping  voice,  as  though 
the  caller  was  fast  losing  her  strength.  The  sound 
came  from  the  river  proper,  and,  without  waiting, 
the  two  young  soldiers  leaped  in  that  direction, 
over  the  rocks  and  out  on  the  muddy  flat,  where 
the  rain  had  caused  the  water  to  rise  to  a  depth 
of  several  inches. 

"  I  see  her !  "  cried  Ralph,  straining  his  eyes 
ahead.     "  She  is  out  there  on  a  log  or  an  over- 


OUT  ON  THE  RIVER  : 

turned  boat."  He  raised  his  voice.  "  Hul' 
there  !  "  he  yelled. 

"  Oh,  help  me !  "  came  back  with  a  gasp.  "  He 
me,  please  !  I  —  I  cannot  —  hold  —  on  mu> 
longer ! " 

"  I'm  going  to  swim  out  to  her,"  came  in  qui 
tones  from  Dan,  and  as  he  spoke  he  threw  off  1 
soldier  cap  and  his  coat.  "  Got  that  lasso  y< 
picked  up  this  morning  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"Then  give  me  one  end  and  I'll  put  it  up  und 
my  arms.  There,  that's  it.  Now  play  out  as 
need  it,  and  don't  haul  in  till  I  tell  you." 

Ralph  understood,  and  no  more  was  said.  Ru 
ning  out  to  the  edge  of  the  muddy  flat,  Dan  leapt 
boldly  into  the  turbulent  stream  and  struck  o 
with  strong  arms  for  the  floating  girl. 

It  was  not  long  before  he  saw  that  she  w 
clinging  to  an  old  and  worn-out  log  canoe,  a  cr£ 
which  a  sharp  blow  on  the  rocks  had  almost  sp 
in  twain.  Evidently  she  could  not  swim,  or  h 
situation  would  not  have  filled  her  with  such  terrc 

"  Keep  up,  I  am  coming !  "  he  called,  as  he  a 
proached. 

But  she  continued  to  scream,  and  while  1 
was  still  half  a  dozen  yards  away  she  suddenly  d 
appeared  from  view. 


24  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  Hullo,  what  does  this  mean  ? "  Dan  asked 
himself.     "  She  sank  quickly  and  no  mistake." 

The  thought  had  scarcely  crossed  his  mind  when 
he  felt  something  touch  one  of  his  legs.  It  was  a 
heavy  rope  attached  to  some  object  floating  under 
water,  and  in  a  twinkle  the  rope  wound  itself  about 
his  ankle,  and  he,  too,  was  carried  under. 

It  was  now  too  dark  for  Ralph  to  see  the  girl, 
even  had  she  been  on  the  surface,  but  so  far  the 
younger  Radbury  had  watched  his  brother  with 
close  interest.  He  gave  a  shout  of  alarm  as  he 
saw  Dan  go  under  and  fail  to  reappear. 

"  Dan  !  Dan  !  "  he  shouted.  "  Dan,  what's  the 
trouble  ? " 

No  answer  coming  back,  he  essayed  to  pull  in  on 
the  lasso.  Soon  this  grew  taut,  and  he  could  not 
haul  in  another  foot,  although  he  knew  that  there 
still  remained  at  least  thirty  feet  out. 

"  Something  is  wrong,  that's  as  sure  as  the  nose 
on  my  face,"  he  mused,  dismally.  "  Dan  wouldn't 
stay  under  so  long  for  nothing." 

In  an  agony  of  mind  he  waited  a  few  seconds 
longer.  Then,  unable  to  endure  the  mental  tor- 
ture, he  fastened  the  end  of  the  lariat  to  a  near-by 
stump  of  a  tree  and  plunged  over  the  muddy  flat. 
In  his  pocket  he  had  a  good  jack-knife  and  this  he 
now  drew  and  opened. 


OUT  ON   THE  RIVER 

The  rain  continued  to  come  down  in  torrei 
and  the  wild  norther  which  was  rising  moaned  i 
mally  through  the  forest  back  of  the  river  i 
caused  him  to  shiver  as  with  a  chill.  Then,  as 
thought  of  the  possibility  of  his  brother  drowni 
he  gave  another  shiver  which  shook  him  from  hi 
to  foot. 

"I  must  do  something  —  I  simply  must!" 
told  himself,  but  what  to  do  was  by  no  means  cl 
in  his  mind.  With  his  jack-knife  in  his  teeth,  i 
his  left  hand  running  along  the  tightly  stretcl 
lariat,  he  soon  gained  the  edge  of  the  muddy  f 
His  foot  slipped  and  into  the  river  he  plunged  a 
began  to  swim  forward  with  one  hand. 

He  had  not  gone  far  before  he  discovered  w. 
was  at  least  partly  responsible  for  the  state  of  1 
situation.  A  tree,  growing  on  the  edge  of  the  f 
had  been  hurled  down  by  some  former  storm  £ 
now  lay  on  the  river  bottom,  with  numen 
branches  sticking  toward  the  surface.  Dan  a 
the  lariat  had  caught  in  one  of  these  branches,  a 
the  girl  and  the  wrecked  dugout  had  caught  in  ; 
other.  The  strong  current  had  turned  the  immei 
tree  partly  over,  and  this  had  carried  girl  and  you 
soldier  under. 

Still  clinging  to  the  lariat,  Ralph  presen 
reached  one  of  the  tree  branches.     As  he  did 


26  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

he  felt  a  movement  below  and  touched  somebody's 
arm  working  convulsively.  It  was  Dan,  who  was 
trying  his  best  to  get  himself  out  of  a  tangle. 

Without  hesitation,  Ralph  dove  down.  Dan 
clutched  him,  and  in  that  embrace  Ralph  almost 
dropped  the  knife  he  carried  between  his  set  lips. 
But  now  he  caught  it  in  his  hand  and  with  a  quick 
movement  slashed  away  at  the  lariat  and  cut  it  in 
two. 

The  instant  he  felt  himself  free  Dan  arose  to 
the  surface.  His  breath  was  almost  gone  and  he 
could  do  little  but  gasp  when  he  reached  the  air. 
The  sunken  tree  had  now  taken  another  turn, 
exposing  a  heavy  branch.  To  this  Dan  climbed 
and  clung  fast,  and  here  Ralph  joined  him. 

"  Dan,  are  you  all  right  ? " 

"I  —  I  reckon  so,"  was  the  gasped-out  reply. 
"The  —  the  tree  played  me  a  trick,  didn't  it  ? " 

"  Yes.     I  didn't  see  any  tree  at  first." 

"  Nor  I.     Where's  the  girl  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.     She  —  " 

Another  cry  for  help  reached  their  ears.  The 
girl  had  suddenly  appeared  at  the  end  of  another 
tree  branch,  ten  feet  away.  Ralph  made  a  dive  for 
her  and  caught  her  by  the  arm. 

"  Oh,  save  me  !  Please  save  me  !  "  she  moaned, 
in  English,  but  with  a  strong  Spanish  accent. 


OUT  ON  THE   RIVER  : 

"We'll  do  what  we  can,"  answered  Ralp 
"  Come  with  me.  That  other  branch  is  larger  th 
this." 

She  was  too  exhausted  to  do  more  for  herse 
and  as  Ralph  caught  her  in  his  arms  she  faint 
dead  away.  Her  weight  was  heavy  for  him,  ai 
it  was  all  he  could  do  to  get  back  to  where  \ 
had  left  Dan. 

The  heavy  rain  was  causing  the  river  to  ris 
and  as  the  three  rested  on  the  large  branch  bo 
Dan  and  Ralph  felt  a  sudden  tremor  along  shoi 

"  The  tree  roots  are  breaking ! "  ejaculat 
Ralph,  and  scarcely  had  he  spoken  when  the  tr 
gave  a  sudden  lurch  and  a  shiver,  and  then  start- 
to  float  out  into  midstream. 

"Oh!"  groaned  Dan.  "We're  leaving  shor 
We  must  get  off  !  " 

But  he  was  too  weak  to  make  a  move,  and  wi 
the  girl  in  his  arms  Ralph  could  do  nothing.  Tl 
tree  branch  came  up  a  little  higher  out  of  tl 
water,  so  that  only  their  lower  limbs  remain* 
below.  On  and  on  they  swept,  they  knew  n 
to  where,  the  darkness  increasing  rapidly  and  tl 
rain  coming  down  as  furiously  as  ever.  Tl 
norther  swept  directly  down  the  river,  and  th 
increased  the  speed  at  which  the  tree  was  travt 
ling. 


28  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"We're  in  a  pickle  now  for  certain,"  observed 
Dan,  when  he  had  gotten  back  part  of  his  wind. 
"  We'll  have  to  stay  on  this  tree  until  it  catches 
fast  somewhere,  and  if  it  doesn't  catch  fast  it  may 
carry  us  right  out  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico." 

"  I  can't  even  see  the  shore,"  returned  Ralph, 
straining  his  eyes. 

"  There  is  a  light  —  probably  a  soldiers'  camp. 
It's  gone  now."  And  though  both  watched 
eagerly,   the  light  did  not  reappear. 

On  and  on  went  the  tree,  through  the  rain, 
wind,  and  darkness,  and  for  the  time  being  the 
two  young  soldiers  could  think  of  nothing  but 
how  this  unexpected  adventure  would  end.  The 
river  was  now  a  roaring  torrent,  and  because  of 
the  heavy  rain  it  would  not  be  likely  to  subside 
for  forty-eight  hours  or  longer. 

The  girl  still  remained  unconscious,  and  for 
awhile  both  Ralph  and  Dan  were  afraid  that  she 
would  not  recover.  She  was  about  Ralph's  age, 
tall  and  slender,  with  a  pretty  dark  face  and  curly 
black  hair.  She  was  poorly  dressed,  but  otherwise 
appeared  to  belong  to  the  upper  class  of  society. 

"  She  isn't  dead,  is  she  ? "  questioned  Dan,  after 
several  minutes  of  silence. 

"  I  can't  hardly  make  out,"  was  the  slow 
answer. 


OUT  ON   THE   RIVER  2< 

A  little  while  after  this  the  girl  gave  a  gas 
and  opened  her  eyes. 

"  Oh  !  "  she  murmured.     "  Sa-save  me  !  " 

"You  are  safe  for  the  present,"  said  Ralpr 
kindly.  But  she  did  not  hear,  for  she  had  b( 
come  unconscious  again.  But  this  state  did  nc 
last,  and  presently  she  tried  to  raise  herself,  stai 
ing  around  in  the  meanwhile  in  bewilderment. 

"  Whe-where  are  we  ?  "  she  asked,  faintly. 

"  On  the  river,"  said  Ralph. 

"  And  you  —  who  are  you,  pray  ?  " 

"  Two  American  soldiers.  We  were  trampin 
along  the  river  when  we  heard  your  cry,  and  m 
brother  swam  out  to  aid  you.  Then  he  caugt 
in  this  tree  and  I  went  out  to  help  him.  Th 
tree  got  loose  from  shore,  and  now  all  of  us  ar 
floating  down  the  river  together." 

"  And  the  old  boat  —  " 

"  I  don't  know  what  became  of  the  boat." 

"  Did  you  see  my  uncle  ?  " 

"  We  saw  nobody,"  put  in  Dan.  "  Was  yoi 
uncle  with  you  ?" 

At  this  question  the  girl  gave  a  shiver. 

"  No,  no,  not  on  the  river  !  But  he  was  afte 
me.     He  tried  to  catch  me." 

"  Were  you  running  away  from  him  ? "  aske 
Ralph,  with  increasing  interest. 


30  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  I  was." 

"  May  I  ask  why  ? " 

"  Because  —  because  —  oh,  I  cannot  tell  you. 
I  was  afraid  of  him.  He  has  used  me  so  harshly 
of  late.     He  was  very  miserly,  and  —  " 

The  girl  got  no  further,  for  at  that  moment 
there  came  a  sudden  shock.  The  tree  had  struck 
some  rocks  and  now  began  to  turn  over,  and  in  a 
twinkle  the  young  soldiers  and  the  girl  they  were 
trying  to  rescue  found  themselves  in  the  water 
again. 


CHAPTER  III. 

POKE  STOVER  TO  THE  RESCUE 

It  was  truly  a  perilous  situation,  doubly  so  b 
cause  all  three  of  the  party  were  weak  from  ba 
tling  with  the  elements,  and  therefore  hardly  ab 
to  do  more  for  themselves. 

As  the  tree  went  over,  Ralph  went  down,  ar. 
the  girl  went  with  him.  Dan,  seeing  this,  clutcht 
at  both,  and  for  several  seconds  all  flounderc 
about  helplessly,  and  scarcely  knowing  what  the 
were  doing.  The  tree  swept  around  in  a  serr 
circle,  and  at  last  came  to  a  standstill.  Wit 
great  exertions  the  young  soldiers,  holding  tr 
girl  between  them,  climbed  up  to  a  position  part 
on  the  tree,  and  partly  on  the  rocks  which  hi 
served  to  stay  its  progress. 

For  fully  a  minute  nobody  spoke,  but  all  he 
tight,  gasping  for  breath.  They  fully  expected  tl 
treacherous  tree  to  make  another  turn  and  to  r 
sume  its  journey,  but  nothing  of  the  sort  occurre 

31 


32  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  That  was  a  bad  one,"  said  Dan,  at  length. 
"  I  was  afraid  we  were  all  lost." 

The  girl  tried  to  answer,  but  could  not.  With 
one  hand  she  clutched  Ralph's  hand,  while  the 
other  held  to  Dan's  shoulder. 

"  I  can't  see  a  thing,"  came  from  the  younger 
Radbury,  after  a  long  look  around.  "  Are  we 
near  shore  or  out  in  midstream  ?  " 

"  We  can't  be  very  far  out,"  said  Dan.  "If  we 
were  this  rock  wouldn't  be  here.  I  think  we  must 
be  on  a  mud-flat,  although  I  can't  touch  bottom." 

"  Nor  I.  But  it  must  be  a  flat,  as  you  say,  or 
otherwise  this  tree  would  slip  away." 

The  violence  of  the  downpour  was  now  abating, 
although  it  still  continued  to  rain  steadily.  But 
night  had  settled  over  the  region  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  and  all  about  them  was  as  black  as  a 
stormy  night  can  be. 

"  Do  you  suppose  we  are  anywhere  near  a 
settlement  ?  "  came  from  Ralph,  after  a  long  wait. 

"  Nothing  like  a  light  in  sight,"  answered  his 
brother.  He  turned  to  the  girl.  "  Do  you  know 
if  there  is  any  settlement  near  here  ? " 

"  I  do  not  know  where  we  are,  sir,"  she  made 
reply.  "  I  entered  the  boat  at  the  Monovallo 
plantation.  We  must  be  miles  below  that  —  per- 
haps near  the  village  of  Los  Nonada,  as  they  call 


POKE  STOVER    TO    THE   RESCUE  33 

it.  But  if  we  are  near  the  village,  where  are  the 
lights  ? "  And  she  shrugged  her  shoulders  in 
despair. 

"  We've  got  to  do  something,  that's  sure,  unless 
we  want  to  remain  here  all  night,"  said  Dan. 
"And  I  can't  see  that  remaining  here  is  going  to 
help  us.  If  the  tree  moves  again,  there's  no  tell- 
ing where  we  will  fetch  up  —  most  likely  at  the 
bottom  of  the  gulf." 

"  Oh,  please  do  not  leave  me  ! "  pleaded  the 
girl,  clutching  him  tighter  than  ever. 

"  We  won't  leave  you,"  replied  Dan.  "  If  we 
leave  we  had  better  go  together." 

"The  tree  is  moving  again!"  cried  Ralph,  in 
fresh  alarm.     "Hold  to  the  rocks!" 

He  had  scarcely  time  to  utter  the  words  when  all 
felt  the  tree  give  a  lurch,  as  the  strong  current 
wrenched  it  free  from  the  rocks  and  mud  which 
held  it.  Then  it  turned  over  and  sank  almost 
from  view. 

The  two  young  soldiers  went  down  with  the 
girl  between  them,  and  for  the  moment  there  was 
a  wild  struggle  on  the  part  of  all  to  regain  the 
surface.  It  was  Dan  who  caught  hold  of  a  sharp 
projecting  rock,  and  who  at  length  raised  the  girl 
up  and  then  his  brother.  The  water  boiled  and 
foamed  on  every  side  of  them,  and  although  the 


34  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

rain  was  letting  up,  the  norther  blew  harder  than 
ever. 

"  Oh ! "  cried  the  girl,  as  soon  as  she  could 
speak.  "The  tree  is  gone.  What  shall  we  do 
now?" 

"  Hold  fast  to  the  rocks,"  returned  Dan.  "  It's 
our  only  chance." 

"  Can  either  of  you  see  the  shore  ? " 

They  could  not,  although  they  strained  their 
eyes  to  the  utmost.  The  rocks  upon  which  they 
had  caught  were  only  a  few  inches  above  the  sur- 
face of  the  river  and  were  hardly  large  enough  for 
the  three  to  sit  upon.  But  this  was  far  better 
than  nothing,  and  they  clung  on  with  a  grip  born 
of  despair. 

So  half  an  hour  passed  —  a  time  which  to  them 
seemed  endless.  The  river  was  rising  steadily, 
and  now  the  water  frequently  flowed  entirely  over 
the  rocks. 

"  If  the  stream  gets  much  higher  we'll  be  swept 
away !  "  gasped  the  girl.  She  was  so  exhausted 
she  could  not  sit  up  without  support,  and  both 
Dan  and  Ralph  did  what  they  could  to  hold 
her. 

"  As  the  rain  has  let  up  I  don't  think  the  river 
will  rise  much  higher  —  at  least  not  very  fast," 
answered   Dan,  by  way  of   comforting  her.     He 


POKE  STOVER    TO    THE  RESCUE  3 

was  as  greatly  alarmed  as  any  one,  but  did  not  wis] 
to  show  it. 

"  Look  !  Look  !  "  exclaimed  Ralph.    "  A  light ! ' 

"  Where  ?  "  came  from  both  Dan  and  the  girl. 

"  Over  yonder.  Don't  you  see  it,  behind  sorrn 
brushwood  ?     It's  gone  now." 

They  watched  steadily  and  presently  the  ligh 
appeared  again,  this  time  closer  than  before.  I 
was  a  torch  and  was  being  waved  over  a  man' 
head.  By  it  they  could  see  a  bit  of  the  rive 
shore,  not  a  hundred  feet  away. 

"Hullo!"  yelled  Dan.  "Help!  help!"  An< 
Ralph  and  the  girl  joined  in  the  cry. 

At  first  they  were  not  heard,  but  soon  the  figun 
with  the  torch  came  to  a  halt,  and  then  the  mai 
moved  cautiously  to  the  very  edge  of  the  rive 
bank. 

"  Who  calls  ? "  he  shouted. 

"What!  Poke  Stover!  Is  that  you?"  fairh 
screamed  Ralph,  as  he  recognized  the  voice  o 
their  old  frontier  friend. 

"  Wall,  hang  me  ef  it  ain't  Ralph  ! "  roared  th< 
old  frontiersman,  in  equal  astonishment.  "Wha 
are  ye  a-doin'  out  on  the  river  in  sech  a  storm  a 
this?" 

"We're  shipwrecked  —  or  next  door  to  it,' 
answered  Dan.     "  Can  you  help  us  ?  " 


36  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  Wall,  I  reckon  I  can  make  a  putty  good  try  at 
it,"  was  Poke's  answer.  "Are  you  and  Ralph 
alone  ? " 

"  No,  there  is  a  young  lady  with  us  !  " 

"  Gee  shoo  !  A  lady  ?  Are  ye  on  a  rock  out 
thar  ? " 

"Yes." 

"  Then  hold  tight  till  I  can  git  at  ye." 

The  torch  was  swung  around  to  make  it  blaze 
up  brighter,  and  then  stuck  up  in  the  wet  river 
bank.  In  common  with  many  old  frontiersmen 
who  went  to  the  front  in  the  Mexican  War,  Poke 
Stover  carried  a  lasso,  and  this  he  now  brought 
into  play. 

"  Catch  the  leather ! "  he  cried,  and  threw  the 
lasso  with  unerring  aim  at  Dan.  The  end  fell 
over  Dan's  shoulder  and  he  caught  it  with  ease. 

"You  had  better  go  first,  Ralph,"  said  the  older 
brother.     "  I'll  follow  with  the  lady." 

"  No,  take  her  first,"  answered  Ralph,  gallantly. 
"  Hadn't  you  better  put  the  rope  under  her  arms  ?  " 

This  suggestion  was  followed,  and  presently 
Dan  and  the  young  lady  were  making  their  way 
to  shore  as  rapidly  as  the  strokes  of  the  young 
soldier  and  Poke's  pulling  on  the  lasso  would  per- 
mit. They  came  in  safely,  and  then  the  lasso  was 
thrown  to  Ralph. 


POKE  STOVER    TO    THE  RESCUE  3; 

"  Wall,  you've  been  in  a  putty  mess,"  observec 
Poke,  as  he  surveyed  them  by  the  light  of  th( 
flickering  torch.  "  Look  about  as  near  lik< 
drowned  rats  as  could  be.  How  did  it  happen 
and  who  might  the  lady  be,  if  I  may  be  so  bold  a 
to  inquire  ? "     And  he  tipped  his  cap  and  bowed. 

"The  lady  is  a  stranger  to  us,"  said  Dan,  an< 
he  felt  himself  blushing  as  he  spoke.  "  We  hean 
her  calling  for  help  out  on  the  river  and  tried  t< 
help  her,  and  by  doing  that  both  of  us  got  int« 
trouble  and  were  carried  down  to  this  point,  wher 
we  all  caught  on  the  rocks." 

"  I  see,"  said  the  frontiersman,  and  looked  m 
quiringly  at  the  girl,  as  did  also  the  two  younj 
soldiers. 

"  I  suppose  you  would  like  to  know  somethinj 
about  me,"  said  the  girl,  simply,  but  with  a  blush 
"  My  name  is  Inez  Morales,  and  I  am  an  orphar 
My  grandfather  was  a  Mexican,  but  I  was  bon 
and  brought  up  in  Missouri. 

"  Good  enough,  miss.  I'm  a  Missourian  m) 
self,"  said  Poke,  and  bowed  his  acknowledgment 

"Then  perhaps,  sir,  you  too  will  help  me." 

"  Ain't  I  done  thet  already  ?  Not  but  what  I'r 
willing  to  do  a  heap  sight  more  ef  it's  necessary.' 

"  I  am  very,  very  thankful  to  all  of  you  for  wha 
you  have  done  for  me.     Now  if  you  will  aid  me  i 


38  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

getting  to  the  home  of  a  friend  of  mine  I  will 
never  forget  your  kindness." 

"  Is  it  near  here  ?  "  questioned  Dan.  The  girl 
interested  him  more  than  any  young  lady  he  had 
ever  met. 

"  I  cannot  say  how  close  it  is,  although  it  is 
somewhere  in  this  vicinity.  My  friend's  name 
is  Senor  Ramon,  and  he  lives  on  the  Ramon 
plantation." 

"  I  know  the  spot,"  said  Poke.  "  It  ain't  over 
quarter  of  a  mile  from  here.  We  can  take  you  thar 
without  trouble." 

"  Oh,  thank  you  !  "  And  now  the  girl's  face  lit 
up  for  the  first  time  since  they  had  met. 

"  You  said  something  about  your  uncle  trying  to 
catch  you,"  observed  Ralph,  curiously. 

"  Yes,  yes,  he  was  after  me !  Oh,  do  not  let 
him  see  me  !  " 

"You  said  he  had  been  treating  you  harshly." 

"Yes,  very  harshly.  You  see  I  am  an  orphan, 
and  my  uncle,  whose  name  is  Jose  Toletto,  is  my 
guardian,  and  has  been  for  three  years.  He  com- 
pelled me  to  leave  my  home  in  Missouri  and  come 
down  here,  although  I  did  not  wish  to  leave  the 
United  States.  At  first  he  treated  me  very  well, 
but  after  awhile  the  treatment  became  worse  and 
worse,  until  I  grew  more  than  afraid  of  him.     He 


POKE  STOVER    TO    THE  RESCUE  3c 

was  very  miserly  and  hardly  gave  me  enough  tc 
eat  and  to  wear.  He  wanted  to  save  all  the  mone} 
my  father  and  mother  had  left  to  me." 

"That  was  contemptible,"  came  from  Dan.  "  1 
don't  wonder  you  resented  such  treatment." 

"  I  told  my  uncle  what  I  thought  of  him,  and  w< 
had  a  bitter  quarrel.  He  said  he  knew  what  wa: 
best  and  that  he  wasn't  going  to  let  me  squande: 
my  money.  When  matters  grew  worse,  I  threat 
ened  to  leave  him  and  go  to  my  friend  Sefio: 
Ramon  and  tell  my  story,  and  I  even  hinted  a 
getting  a  new  guardian.  At  this  he  grew  furioui 
and  locked  me  in  my  room  for  three  days  anc 
nights." 

"  He  must  be  hard-hearted,"  put  in  Ralph,  a; 
the  girl  paused  in  her  narrative. 

"  Mebbe  he's  arfter  yer  money  ?  "  suggestec 
Poke,  shrewdly. 

"  I  have  sometimes  thought  that,"  answerec 
Inez.  "  You  see  I  have  no  other  relatives.  If  '. 
died  he  would  get  the  property,  which,  I  have  beei 
told,  is  worth  some  ten  or  fifteen  thousand  dollars 
United  States  money." 

"  Reckon  as  how  thet  would  be  a  big  temptatioi 
to  a  miserly  man." 

"  I  am  afraid  so,"  said  Inez,  sadly.  "  My  unci* 
locked  me  up  three  times,  and  the  last  time,  whicl 


40  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

was  three  days  ago,  he  had  a  rascally  looking  man 
call  on  him,  and  I  am  almost  sure  the  two  hatched 
up  some  plot  against  me.  The  look  of  the  strange 
man  —  he  was  a  tall,  burly  fellow  —  made  me 
shiver  all  over,  and  I  grew  so  frightened  I 
couldn't  stand  it  any  longer,  and  when  I  got 
the  chance  I  ran  away.  My  uncle  followed  me 
to  the  river,  but  I  slipped  him  in  the  darkness 
and  got  into  the  old  dugout  —  and  you  know  the 
rest." 


CHAPTER   IV. 

SOMETHING   ABOUT   JUAN    THE    GIANT 

The  two  young  soldiers  listened  with  de 
interest  to  what  Inez  Morales  had  to  say.  Th 
felt  certain  she  was  telling  them  the  exact  tru 
and  both  were  indignant  over  the  treatment  s 
had  received. 

"  If  your  uncle  is  that  kind  of  a  man,  he  oug 
to  be  hauled  up  before  the  court,"  said  D; 
"  But  I  suppose  he  knows  that  Mexican  cou 
don't  amount  to  very  much  just  now,  with  t. 
war  on  one  hand  and  with  quarrels  among  politi 
leaders  here  on  the  other." 

"  I  fancy  you  are  right,  Mr.  —  I  do  not  kn< 
your  name." 

"  To  be  sure,  I  forgot.  I  am  Dan  Radbury,  a 
this  is  my  brother  Ralph.  This  is  our  old  friei 
Poke  Stover.  We  were  all  in  the  army  unc 
General  Taylor,  and  now  we  are  on  our  way 
join  General  Scott." 

41 


42  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  I  see.  But  you  will  take  me  safe  to  Sefior 
Ramon's  plantation  first  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure,"  answered  Dan,  and  the  others 
nodded. 

"  You  spoke  about  a  big  man  coming  to  see 
your  uncle  and  plotting  against  you,"  came  from 
Ralph.  "  Did  you  find  out  anything  about  the 
fellow  ? " 

"Not  much,  excepting  that  he  had  come  on  from 
Texas,  and  that  his  name  was  Badillo." 

"  Badillo !  "  cried  Ralph  and  Dan,  simultane- 
ously. 

"  It  must  be  the  hoss  thief,  Juan  the  Giant," 
observed  Poke  Stover.  "  An'  if  so,  the  lady  did  a 
wise  thing  in  runnin'  away,  accordin'  to  my  way  o' 
thinkin'." 

"You  are  right  she  did,"  said  Ralph. 

"Then  you  know  this  man  Badillo  ? "  questioned 
the  girl,  and  now  it  was  her  turn  to  be  astonished. 

"Yes,  indeed,  we  know  him,"  replied  Dan,  bit- 
terly. "  We  would  give  a  good  bit  to  get  hold  of 
him."  And  he  told  something  of  the  troubles 
they  had  had  in  the  past  with  the  giant,  and 
mentioned  the  things  the  rascal  had  stolen. 

"  He  looked  the  villain  he  is,"  said  the  girl.  "  I 
certainly  did  well  to  run  away.  Perhaps  he  would 
have  carried  me  off  or  murdered  me.     If  I  were 


SOMETHING   ABOUT  JUAN  THE    GIANT     . 

to  die,  my  uncle  would  get  the  property,  and 
he  could  afford  to  pay  this  bad  man  well  for  1 
work,"  and  she  shivered  from  head  to  foot. 

"  Is     Badillo     in     the     neighborhood     now 
questioned  Dan. 

"  He  was  up  at  my  uncle's  place  about  an  he 
before  we  met  on  the  river." 

"  By  Jinks  !  We  ought  to  go  after  the  rascal 
ejaculated  Ralph.  "  I  would  give  three  montl 
pay  to  capture  him." 

"  I  wish  he  was  captured,"  said  Inez.  "  I  sh 
not  feel  safe  so  long  as  he  is  around  where  I  a 
I  am  sure  now  that  he  and  my  uncle  plotted  son 
thing  dreadful  against  me." 

"  In  that  case  your  uncle  ought  to  be  arrestee 
said  Dan.  "  But  that  wouldn't  do  unless  you  coi 
really  prove  something  against  him." 

"  What  could  an  American  girl  do  in  a  Mexic 
court  at  this  time  ?  "  sighed  Inez.     "  No,  I  will 
to  Sefior  Ramon.     He  was  my  father's  friend,  a 
I  am  sure  he  will  protect  me." 

"  If  he  won't,  I  know  what  you  can  do,  M 
Morales,"  said  Dan,  suddenly.     "You  can  go 
to  our  ranch  in  Texas  till  this  war  is  over.     I 
sure  my  father  will  be  glad  to  give  you  a  home.' 

"  Oh,  you  are  very  kind,  and  I  will  rememt 
your  offer." 


44  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

While  they  were  talking,  the  whole  party  had 
been  moving  in  the  direction  of  the  Ramon  plan- 
tation, a  rich  tract  of  ground  fronting  a  stream 
running  into  the  Rio  Grande.  The  place  had 
suffered  much  during  the  fighting  in  that  vicinity, 
but  the  great  rambling  house  and  outbuildings  still 
stood  intact. 

It  was  well  on  toward  midnight  when  the  plan- 
tation was  reached.  All  was  silent  about  the 
grounds,  but,  as  they  entered  the  gateway,  set  in 
the  tall  chaparral,  a  dog  barked  loudly,  and  soon 
a  Mexican  servant  appeared  with  a  lantern  and  a 
pistol. 

"  What  will  you  here  ? "  he  demanded,  in 
Spanish. 

"  Do  you  not  know  me,  Castro  ? "  asked  the  girl, 
going  forward. 

"  The  saints  be  with  us !  Senorita  Morales,  and 
at  this  time  of  the  night !  "  gasped  the  servant, 
almost  dropping  the  lantern  in  his  astonishment. 

"  Is  Senor  Ramon  home  ?  " 

"Yes,  and  in  bed,  fast  asleep." 

"Tell  him  I  would  like  to  see  him  at  once." 

"  And  these  soldiers  —  "  The  servant  hesitated. 

"They  are  my  friends,  Castro.  Two  of  them 
saved  me  from  drowning  in  the  river." 

"  Is  it  possible  !    I  did  not  think  Yankee  soldiers 


SOMETHING   ABOUT  JUAN   THE    GIANT     . 

so  brave.  Come  in,  and  I  will  call  the  mastei 
and  the  old  servant  led  the  way  to  the  wi 
veranda  and  into  the  spacious  dwelling. 

They  had  but  a  few  minutes  to  wait,  for  Sefi 
Ramon  had  heard  the  barking  of  the  dog  and  t 
talking,  and  was  already  hurrying  into  his  clothir 
Soon  he  came  to  greet  the  girl,  and  to  gaze  qu< 
tioningly  at  the  others. 

"  They  are  my  friends,  and  they  have  done  i 
a  great  service,"  said  Inez,  after  being  embrac 
by  the  master  of  the  plantation,  who  had  kno^ 
her  from  infancy.  And  in  her  simple  way  s 
told  how  she  had  run  away  from  her  uncle,  fled 
the  river,  and  how  Ralph  and  Dan  had  first  coi 
to  her  rescue,  and  of  how  Poke  had  assisted 
three  later  on.  She  was  still  very  weak,  and, 
the  time  she  had  finished,  she  sank  in  a  ch 
almost  exhausted. 

Senor  Ramon  was  alarmed,  and  instantly  call 
several  of  the  women  folks  of  the  plantation,  a 
Inez  was  made  comfortable  with  dry  clothing  a 
something  hot  to  eat  and  to  drink.  In  the  me; 
time  Senor  Ramon  turned  to  Dan  and  the  other 

"  Being  a  Mexican,  and  with  a  heart  beati 
solely  for  our  cause,  I  cannot  welcome  you  to  i 
home  as  three  Yankee  soldiers,"  he  said.  "B 
since  you  have  done  so  much  for  the  daughter 


46  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

an  old  friend,  I  do  welcome  you  as  brave  men, 
and  as  worthy  of  my  best  hospitality.  If  you  will 
remain  overnight,  I  will  do  my  best  to  make  you 
comfortable." 

At  this  rather  unusual  speech  the  two  young 
soldiers  knew  hardly  what  to  say.  They  hesi- 
tated, and  looked  at  Poke. 

"Wall,  thet's  rather  neatly  put,"  drawled  the 
Missourian.  "An'  I  reckon  ye  mean  the  compli- 
ment. In  return  let  me  say  thet,  as  the  friend  o' 
this  young  lady,  we  appreciate  your  offer  to  let  us 
stay  hyer,  but,  as  Yankee  soldiers,  doin'  our  best 
to  conquer  your  hull  country,  we  prefer  to  go  else- 
whar  to  rest.     Ain't  I  right,  lads  ?  " 

"  You  are,"  said  Dan,  and  Ralph  nodded.  "  But 
we  would  like  to  say  a  few  words  more  before  we 
go,"  Dan  added.  "I  mean  to  Miss  Morales.  We 
want  to  find  out  all  we  can  about  that  Juan  the 
Giant." 

Senor  Ramon  was  evidently  annoyed,  for  he 
really  wanted  them  to  stay,  but  he  merely  bowed. 
Leaving  them  sitting  on  the  veranda,  he  went 
inside,  and  presently  reappeared  with  the  girl, 
who,  in  a  clean,  new  gown,  looked  prettier  than 
ever. 

"  You  are  going  ?  I  am  so  sorry  !  "  said  Inez, 
pouting.     "  I  thought  I  would  have  the  chance  of 


SOMETHING   ABOUT  JUAN   THE    GIANT     4 

a  long  talk  in  the  morning.     I  —  I  thought  yo 
might  help  me  further." 

"  If  you  will  permit  it,  and  I  can  get  away  froi 
camp,  I'll  come  to-morrow,"  said  Dan.  "  I  though 
we  might  talk  to-night,  but  it  is  late,  and  I  recko 
all  of  us  are  dead  tired." 

"Then  I'll  look  for  you,  sure,"  and  Inez  smilec 
Then,  as  Senor  Ramon  turned  away  for  a  momen 
she  whispered  :  "  I  am  sorry  he  didn't  give  you 
better  welcome.     You  deserve  it." 

"  He  is  only  sticking  up  for  what  he  thinks  i 
right.     I  don't  blame  him  for  that." 

"  And  you  will  come  back  ? " 

"  If  I  possibly  can.  You  know  a  soldier's  firs 
duty  is  to  obey  orders." 

"  I  will  trust  you,  Mr.  Radbury." 

She  held  out  her  hand,  and  he  shook  it  warmh 
Then  she  shook  hands  with  Ralph  and  Poke,  anc 
in  a  minute  more,  the  three  soldiers  were  on  the 
way  out  of  the  plantation  grounds.  All  of  a  su( 
den  she  came  running  after  them. 

"  Oh,  I  forgot !  "  she  said,  hurriedly.  "  If  yo 
should  meet  my  uncle,  do  not  let  him  know  I  ai 
alive.  I  am  going  to  try  to  remain  hidden  for  th 
present,  and  he'll  think  I  was  drowned." 

"  All  right,  we'll  remember  that,"  said  Dan,  an 
then  she  left  them  once  more. 


48  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

For  several  minutes  they  pursued  their  way 
in  silence,  each  busy  with  his  own  thoughts. 
Then  Poke  placed  his  hand  on  Dan's  shoulder. 

"  Putty  nice  gal,  eh,  Dan  ?  "  he  drawled. 

"Oh — er  —  why,  of  course,"  stammered  the 
young  soldier. 

"  She  is  a  nice  girl,"  said  Ralph,  and  drew  a  long 
breath.  "  I  don't  see  how  a  man  could  have  the 
heart  to  plot  against  her." 

"  Her  uncle  must  be  a  bad  one,"  said  Dan.  "  If 
he  wasn't,  he  wouldn't  stand  in  with  such  a  rascal 
as  Juan  the  Giant." 

"  I  only  want  to  lay  hands  on  thet  giant,"  came 
from  Poke.  "  I'd  make  him  sing  putty  small,  I'll 
warrant." 

"  By  the  way,  how  did  you  happen  to  come  down 
the  river,  Poke  ?  " 

"  I  was  lookin'  fer  you  boys.  My  job  was  done  an' 
I  knew  you  must  be  somewhar  in  thet  region.  But  I 
didn't  expect  to  hev  to  haul  ye  outer  the  stream." 

"  Do  you  know  where  our  soldiers  have  gone 
into  camp  ? " 

"  Sure,  for  I  came  from  there.  It's  about  a 
mile  from  here." 

"Then  we  can't  get  there  any  too  quick  for 
me,"  said  Ralph.  "  I  am  dead  tired,  and  hungry 
to  boot,  and  I  want  to  dry  off  at  a  fire." 


SOMETHING   ABOUT  JUAN  THE    GIANT     4c 

All  were  equally  wet,  tired,  and  hungry,  and  fo: 
the  remainder  of  the  journey  but  little  was  said 
Each  was  busy  with  his  thoughts.  Those  of  Dar 
dwelt  continually  on  the  face  of  Inez  Morales 
He  thought  her  the  prettiest  girl  he  had  ever  seen 
and,  as  said  before,  Dan  could  no  longer  be  callec 
a  boy,  since  he  was  in  his  twenties,  so  his  thought! 
of  a  pretty  face  might  mean  a  great  deal. 

The  camp  was  reached  at  last,  and  late  as  it  was 
Ralph  and  Dan  reported  to  the  officer  who  was  ir 
charge  at  that  hour.  It  was  no  easy  matter  t( 
get  something  to  eat,  but  after  awhile  they  wen 
supplied,  and  as  they  ate  they  dried  themselves  b) 
a  roaring  camp-fire.  Then  Dan  and  Poke  went  of 
to  their  own  command,  a  short  distance  away,  whik 
Ralph  sought  his  tent,  close  at  hand,  and  la) 
down,  to  sleep  soundly  until  called  in  the  morn 
ing. 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE    OLD    MEXICAN    WOMAN 

"  Oh,  how  stiff  I  am  !  " 

It  was  Ralph  who  uttered  the  words,  on  arising 
the  next  morning.  And  stiff  he  was,  in  every 
joint,  and  this  condition  was  not  to  be  wondered 
at,  when  one  remembers  what  he  had  gone  through 
the  evening  before. 

"  You  came  in  pretty  late  last  night,"  observed 
Dwight  Pellingham,  one  of  his  tent-mates,  a  fellow 
from  the  north,  who  had  joined  the  army  but  a 
few  weeks  before.  "  You  kicked  me,  too,  and 
woke  me  up." 

"  I'm  sure  I  didn't  mean  to  kick  you,  Pelling- 
ham," returned  Ralph.  "But  I  was  so  dead  tired 
I  hardly  knew  what  I  was  doing." 

"  Oh,  don't  make  any  excuses,"  growled  Pelling- 
ham. "  I'm  tired  of  hearing  them.  Only  take 
care  next  time,  or  we'll  have  a  jolly  row,  mark 
me!" 

So 


THE   OLD  MEXICAN   WOMAN 

Dwight  Pellingham  was  continually  gett 
ready  for  a  "  jolly  row,"  as  he  termed  it.  He  a 
a  very  fastidious  and  conceited  young  man,  i 
why  he  had  ever  joined  the  army  was  a  myster) 
Ralph  and  a  good  many  of  the  other  voluntec 
To  tell  the  truth,  Pellingham  had  had  a  quai 
with  his  father,  who  did  not  wish  to  give  the  yoi; 
man  all  the  spending  money  demanded.  In  a  h 
Dwight  had  threatened  to  run  away  and  become 
soldier,  and  his  father  had  allowed  him  to  do 
satisfied  that  army  discipline  was  just  what  his  < 
spring  needed. 

The  few  weeks  he  had  been  in  the  ranks  1 
opened  the  foolish  young  man's  eyes,  and  it  was  : 
long  before  he  bewailed  his  situation,  although 
secret,  for  nobody  cared  to  listen  to  what  he  mi| 
have  to  say  on  the  subject.  He  was  set  down 
camp  as  a  fop,  and  the  soldiers  often  poked  fun 
him.  This  made  him  sour,  and  he  frequently  tr 
to  vent  his  anger  on  Ralph  and  his  other  te 
mates,  and  on  those  who  were  younger  tt 
himself. 

"  Oh,  don't  be  growling  all  the  time,  Pelly, 
b'y,"  came  from  Tim  McManus,  another  tent-ms 
and  a  young  Irishman  who  was  as  full  of  fun  as 
egg  is  full  of  meat.     "  Sure  an'  ye'll  set  me  p 
head  to  achin'  wid  yer  fault-findin'.     If  ye  die 


52  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

wisht  to  put  up  wid  sodger  life  why  didn't  ye  git 
a  job  a-tindin'  a  windmill  or  drivin'  lambs  to 
pasture  ?  " 

"  See  here,  McManus,  don't  you  put  your  oar 
in  !  "  roared  Pellingham.  "  Radbury  kicked  me, 
and  I  don't  intend  to  stand  it." 

"  Thin  sit  down  on  it  —  we're  not  compillin'  ye 
to  sthand,  are  we,  Ralphy,  me  b'y  ? " 

"  I  didn't  mean  to  kick  him,"  said  Ralph. 

"  I  believe  you  did  it  on  purpose.  I'll  get 
square  for  it,  see  if  I  don't ! "  And  thus  growling 
to  himself,  Dwight  Pellingham  quitted  the  tent. 

"  Sure  an'  that  b'y  has  the  schwelled  head," 
grumbled  Tim  McManus.  "  If  he  don't  look  out 
'twill  bust  on  him  some  day,  an'  thin  everybody 
will  be  afther  learnin'  'twas  a  head  without  brains. 
Don't  ye  be  afraid  of  him,  Ralphy." 

"  I'm  not  afraid  of  him,  Tim.  But  I  would 
rather  be  friends  with  a  tent-mate.  He  might 
play  a  pretty  rough  joke  on  a  fellow  while  he 
slept." 

"  If  he  does  he'll  git  it  back  from  yours  trooly, 
Tim  McManus,  third  corporal  of  Company  C, 
an'  wid  compound  interest,"  and  with  an  earnest 
shake  of  his  head,  covered  with  a  shock  of  red 
hair  and  a  strong  red  beard,  Corporal  Tim  strode 
out  after  Pellingham,  and  Ralph  followed. 


THE   OLD  MEXICAN   WOMAN 

Roll-call  and  breakfast  were  soon  over,  i 
then  the  soldiers  set  about  cleaning  up  camp  i 
drying  the  things  which  had  been  soaked  by  ' 
storm  of  the  evening  before.  Ralph's  duties  w 
not  many,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  able  he  hun 
up  his  commander  and  stated  that  he  would  like 
get  off  for  the  remainder  of  the  day,  and  explaii 
why. 

The  officer  had  heard  all  about  Juan  the  Gia 
and  he  was  quite  willing  that  an  effort  should 
made  to  catch  the  rascal. 

"  You  may  take  some  men  with  you,  if  \ 
wish,"  he  said.  "  I  think  we  can  spare  three 
four  easily  enough." 

"Thank  you,  but  I  expect  my  brother  and 
Poke    Stover,    the    scout,   along    soon,"   answe 
Ralph.     "  If  they  come,  I  don't  think  it  will 
necessary  to  call  on  any  others." 

In  a  short  while  Dan  and  Poke  appeared,  i 
without  delay  the  three  set  off  in  the  direction 
Senor  Ramon's  plantation.  The  night's  rest  1 
done  everybody  a  world  of  good,  and  the  three  1 
in  the  best  of  spirits  as  they  advanced. 

On  reaching  the  Ramon  plantation,  Inez  Mors 
ran  down  the  garden  path  to  meet  them,  v 
looked  the  picture  of  health  and  smiled  brightl) 
she  shook  one  and  another  by  the  hand. 


54  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  I  have  seen  nothing  of  my  uncle  or  of  that 
Badillo,"  she  said.  "  I  am  almost  certain  my 
uncle  thinks  I  was  drowned  in  the  river." 

"  In  that  case  he  more  than  likely  went  back 
home,"  said  Dan. 

"I  think  so." 

"  And  perhaps  Juan  the  Giant  is  still  with  him," 
put  in  Ralph. 

**  Reckon  we  can't  do  better  nor  to  git  to  that 
plantation  without  delay,"  said  Poke.  "  If  he 
thinks  the  job  done,  Badillo  won't  stay  in  the 
neighborhood  long,  especially  when  he  learns  that 
our  troops  are  close  by." 

Dan  would  have  preferred  remaining  awhile,  to 
talk  to  Inez,  but  he  realized  the  truth  of  what  the 
others  said,  and  so  agreed  to  move  on  to  the  Toletto 
plantation  without  delay.  Inez  described  its  loca- 
tion minutely,  so  they  would  make  no  mistake  in 
getting  to  it ;  and  once  again  they  set  off,  the  girl 
waving  them  a  good  luck  from  the  veranda  as  they 
turned  the  corner  of  the  chaparral  hedge. 

"  We  may  have  some  trouble  handling  this  Jose 
Toletto,"  remarked  Dan,  as  they  trudged  on. 
"  From  what  Miss  Morales  says,  he  is  a  sly  one." 

"  I  move  we  investigate  the  premises  on  the 
quiet  before  we  make  our  presence  known,"  came 
from  his  brother. 


THE   OLD  MEXICAN    WOMAN 

"Thet's  it,  Ralph,"  put  in  the  old  frontiersm; 
"  We  may  learn  a  heap  sight  more  thet  way. 
we  show  ourselves,  and  Badillo  is  around,  he  rr 
git  Toletto  to  hide  him  away." 

Half  an  hour  later  they  reached  a  spot  Inez  r 
described  to  them.  There  was  a  clump  of  pec 
trees  bordering  a  small  watercourse,  and  beyc 
was  a  broken  hedge,  marking  the  limits  of  \ 
Toletto  plantation.  In  the  midst  of  the  plantat 
stood  a  half  tumbled-down  dwelling  and  seve 
equally  dilapidated  outbuildings.  Nothing  was 
a  state  of  cultivation,  and  all  showed  what  < 
friends  had  already  suspected  —  that  Jose  Tole 
was  as  shiftless  as  he  was  miserly  and  cruel. 

"Must  be  a  poor  critter  and  no  mistak 
observed  Poke,  with  a  snort.  "  Too  confounc 
lazy  to  earn  his  livin',  and  expectin'  to  live  off  i. 
gal's  money." 

"  Let  us  creep  up  behind  the  barn,"  said  D 
"  I  see  a  good  road  to  follow." 

The  others  agreed,  and  as  silently  as  foxes  af 
chickens,  they  crawled  along  the  watercourse  e 
the  bushes  beyond  until  they  gained  the  build: 
mentioned.  Then  they  moved  to  the  shelter  o 
smoke-house,  and  in  a  moment  more  found  th< 
selves  close  beside  the  dwelling  itself. 

Not  a  soul  was  in  sight,  but  from  the  kitchen 


56  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

the  dwelling  came  the  voice  of  an  old  Mexican 
woman,  droning  a  Spanish  song.  Then  the  woman 
appeared,  to  hang  some  wash  on  a  near-by  line. 
She  was  little  but  a  hag,  with  snags  of  teeth  and 
hair  which  fell  over  her  face. 

As  she  turned  to  reenter  the  kitchen  Dan 
turned  to  Ralph  and  Poke.  "  Follow  me,"  he 
whispered,  and  made  after  her. 

In  the  kitchen  the  woman  turned  to  a  corner 
cupboard,  to  put  away  some  things  she  had  been 
using.  As  Dan  came  in  he  saw  a  door  open,  leading 
to  another  room  of  the  house.  Tiptoeing  his  way 
to  the  door  he  closed  it.  Then,  as  the  old  woman 
turned  around,  he  caught  her  by  the  arm,  at  the 
same  time  clapping  his  hand  over  her  mouth. 

"  Silencio  /"  he  commanded,  in  Spanish. 
"  Silencio  !  " 

This  was  part  of  the  little  Spanish  the  young 
soldier  could  now  speak,  and  the  woman  under- 
stood. She  trembled  violently,  probably  thinking 
the  wicked  Americanos  might  murder  her  on  the 
spot. 

There  was  a  pause,  and  Dan  dropped  the  hand 
which  had  been  placed  over  her  mouth.  "  Do  you 
speak  English  ? "  he  asked.  "  If  you  do,  answer 
me  in  a  whisper." 

The    woman    trembled    and    shook    her    head. 


THE   OLD  MEXICAN   WOMAN 

"Kind,  good  soldiers,  do  not  murder  me!" 
whined,  in  Spanish.     "  I  am  a  poor  old  won 
I  am  harmless,  I  have  done  nothing ;  spare  me 

"Where  is  Jose  Toletto?"  went  on  I 
"Jose  Toletto,  do  you  understand  that?" 

The  woman  nodded,  then  shook  her  head 
pointed  out  of  the  door  and  waved  her  hand  tow 
the  road  and  nodded  again. 

"  She  means  Toletto  is  away,"  said  P< 
"You  mind  her  while  I  sneak  through  the  he 
and  take  a  look  around." 

"And  I'll  watch  outside,  so  that  nobody  £ 
away  on  the  sly,"  put  in  Ralph. 

They  separated,  and  the  old  frontiersman  to< 
thorough  look  in  every  part  of  the  dwelling. 

"Not  a  soul  around,"  he  said,  when  he  c; 
back.     "  See  anybody,  Ralph  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Then    this    woman    must    have   been  left 
charge,"  said  Dan.     "  I  wonder  if  we  can  find 
from  her  where  Toletto  has  gone  and  what 
become  of  Badillo." 

As  well  as  they  were  able  they  set  to  worl 
question  the  Mexican  woman,  and  by  using  all 
Spanish  the  three  could  muster  up  they  at 
learned  that  Toletto  had  gone  off  on  foot  abou 
hour  and  a  half  before,  and  that  Badillo  had  t 


58  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

with  him.  They  had  gone  down  a  winding  road 
leading  to  the  distant  mountains,  why  the  old 
woman  could  not  tell. 

When  asked  about  Inez,  the  old  woman  shrugged 
her  shoulders.  All  she  knew  was  that  the  girl  and 
her  uncle  had  quarrelled,  and  the  girl  had  run  away 
and  her  uncle  after  her,  and  Badillo  had  followed. 
The  men  had  come  back  about  midnight  alone. 

"Then  Toletto  must  indeed  think  Inez  dead," 
said  Dan,  in  a  whisper. 

"  That's  so,"  said  Ralph.  "  But  what  shall  we 
do  now  ?  " 

"  Let's  walk  up  that  mountain  road  a  mile  or 
two,"  suggested  Poke.  "  We  may  learn  some- 
thing." 

The  others  were  willing,  and  leaving  the  old 
woman  wondering  what  it  all  meant,  they  left  the 
dwelling  as  quickly  as  they  had  entered  it. 

The  sun  was  now  up  good  and  strong,  con- 
sequently the  day  was  anything  but  cool  even 
though  it  was  early  spring.  They  soon  struck  the 
mountain  road,  which  proved  to  be  little  better 
than  a  cattle  trail. 

"  I  reckon  this  road  leads  to  the  village  of 
Paratilli,"  observed  Poke,  as  they  trudged  along. 
"  But  that's  a  good  six  or  eight  miles  from  here,  at 
the  foot  of  the  hills." 


THE    OLD  MEXICAN  WOMAN 

"  I  suppose  this  will  prove  a  wild  goose  chase 
said  Ralph.  "But  now  we  have  the  day  off  a 
may  as  well  make  the  best  of  it.  I  don't  belie 
we'll  hear  of  Badillo  again  after  we  embark  f 
Vera  Cruz." 

"  Nor  do  I,"  answered  his  older  brother. 

On  they  went,  Poke  setting  the  pace  and  t 
others  having  hard  work  to  keep  up.  The  pa 
was  now  rough,  with  big  rocks  in  some  places  ai 
patches  of  cacti  in  others. 

"  Hark  !  "  exclaimed  Poke,  presently. 

A  gunshot  had  sounded  out,  and  this  w 
followed  by  another,  and  then  all  became  sile 
once  more.  The  shots  had  come  from  a  distan 
ahead,  but  they  could  see  nothing. 

They  waited  for  awhile  and  then  advanced  agai 
each  with  his  weapon  ready  for  use  and  eat 
wondering  what  the  two  shots  had  meant. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A   BRUSH   WITH    THE    ENEMY 

A  few  minutes  later  they  came  in  sight  of  a 
small  cabin,  or  rather  a  hut,  standing  at  the  rear 
of  a  small  clearing,  with  several  tall  trees  over- 
shadowing its  back.  The  hut  was  in  a  wretched 
condition,  looking  as  if  it  had  remained  uncared 
for  many  years. 

"  I  think  the  shots  came  from  around  here," 
whispered  Dan,  as  he  came  to  a  halt. 

"Go  slow,  the  greasers  may  be  in  the  hut," 
remarked  Poke. 

"  Hark,"  put  in  Ralph.      "  Did  you  hear  that  ? " 

Before  the  others  could  answer,  all  heard  a 
groan,  coming  from  the  interior  of  the  shelter. 
They  waited,  and  the  groan  was  followed  by 
another,  not  so  loud. 

"  Somebody  is  wounded,"  was  Dan's  comment, 
and  he  moved  closer,  followed  by  the  others.  He 
gained  the  doorway  of  the  hut,  but  all  was  so  dark 
inside  he  could  see  little  or  nothing. 

60 


A   BRUSH  WITH   THE   ENEMY  t 

"  Oh,  help  me  !  "  came  in  Spanish.  "  Help  mt 
I  am  sadly  wounded,  senor." 

"  Here's  a  wounded  Mexican,"  said  Dan,  an 
stepped  inside.  As  his  eyes  became  accustome 
to  the  semi-darkness  he  saw  that  the  fellow  wj 
alone.  He  was  about  fifty  years  of  age,  poor 
dressed,  and  was  suffering  from  a  wound  in  tr 
breast. 

Learning  they  could  speak  little  Spanish,  he  a< 
dressed  them  in  broken  English  :  "  Two  men  wei 
here,  villains,"  he  said,  with  an  effort.  "The 
threatened  me,  and  then  shot  and  robbed  me." 

"  Did  you  know  the  men  ?  "  questioned  Dan. 

"  I  knew  one  of  them.  He  is  called  Juan  tl 
Giant.  We  had  some  dealings  years  ago,  whe 
he  cheated  me  out  of  the  price  of  a  horse.  No 
I  wanted  my  money  and  told  him  so.  Then  1 
shot  me,  while  his  companion  looked  on  and  d: 
nothing  to  aid  me.  Then  both  took  a  horse 
own  and  rode  off  with  him." 

"  Where  did  they  go  ?  " 

"  Along  the  road  that  leads  to  the  mountai 
Oh,  my  poor  body  !  I  feel  as  if  I  were  going  1 
die  !  "  and  the  wounded  man  gave  a  gasp. 

Dan  knelt  down  beside  the  sufferer  and  Pol 
did  the  same,  the  frontiersman  cautioning  Ralp 
to   remain  at  the    doorway,  on  guard.     A    bri 


62  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

examination  was  sufficient  to  show  that  the  Mexi- 
can had  received  a  wound  likely  to  prove  fatal. 

"You're  in  a  bad  way,"  said  Poke.  "What  is 
your  name,  and  have  you  any  relatives  close  by  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  Plassa  —  Enrique  Plassa.  I  have 
no  relatives  nearer  than  Mexico  City.  There  I 
have  a  sister,  Stella."  The  Mexican  gave  another 
gasp.  "I  —  I  am  so  weak  !  I  believe  I  must 
die.  If  I  do,  tell  my  sister  how  I  died,  and  try 
to  bring  Juan  the  Giant  to  justice.  I  —  I  had 
some  money  —  not  much  —  but  he  robbed  me, 
otherwise  my  sister  could  have  had  that,  for  she, 
too,  is  poor.     I  —  I  —  " 

The  Mexican  tried  to  go  on,  but  could  not. 
Then  he  gasped  out  the  single  word,  "  Water !  " 
but  before  it  could  be  brought,  a  rattle  sounded  in 
his  throat,  and  he  fell  back  dead. 

"  He's  done  for,"  said  Poke,  soberly,  and  Dan 
had  to  gulp  down  a  lump  in  his  throat.  "And 
Juan  the  Giant  did  the  deed.  He  ought  to  be 
shot  fer  it." 

"  That's  true,"  said  Dan.  "  What  shall  we  do 
with  him  ?  " 

"  Let  us  leave  him  here  for  the  present.  We 
can  notify  the  Spanish  authorities  later." 

They  left  the  hut,  glad  to  get  away  from  such 
a  painful  scene.     Dan  made  a  note  of  the  man's 


A   BRUSH   WITH   THE  ENEMY  i 

name  and  that  of  his  sister,  wondering  if  he  woi 
ever  get  the  chance  to  tell  the  latter  personally 
what  he  had  seen  and  heard. 

"  If  Juan  the  Giant  and  Toletto  rode  off  on  t 
horse,  they  must  be  some  distance  from  hen 
said  Ralph,  as  they  moved  on.  "And  if  that 
so,  the  question  is,  will  it  pay  us  to  follow  i 
foot  ? " 

"  Reckon  as  how  we  might  go  a  mile  or  t^ 
farther,"  answered  the  old  frontiersman.  "  I 
early  yet." 

"  Yes,  let  us  go  on.     I  am  anxious  to  do  wh 
we  can,  to  avenge  the  death  of  the  Mexican 
well  as  for  Inez  Morales's  sake  —  not  to  menti 
our  account  against  the  Giant." 

They  were  soon  on  a  portion  of  the  trail  whi> 
was  very  rough.  Loose  rocks  were  on  every  sic 
and  they  had  to  pick  their  way  with  care,  for  fe 
of  twisting  an  ankle  or  breaking  a  leg.  It  w 
growing  hotter,  and  coming  to  the  top  of  a  ri 
they  paused  to  cool  off  and  get  back  their  breat 

As  they  stood  there,  Dan  fanning  himself  wi 
his  cap,  a  shot  rang  out,  coming  from  a  cliff 
their  right,  and  a  bullet  cut  through  the  hea 
covering.  The  sound  was  so  unpleasantly  clo 
that  Dan  dropped  flat  on  the  rocks,  and  the  othe 
quickly  followed  suit. 


64  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  My  stars  !  It's  a  wonder  I  wasn't  struck  !  " 
cried  the  young  soldier,  as  he  looked  at  the  bullet- 
hole.     "A  pretty  close  shave,  that !  " 

"  Follow  me  !  "  cried  Poke,  and  crawled  behind 
a  rocky  shelter  not  far  away.  They  were  glad 
enough  to  do  so.  As  they  were  disappearing 
another  shot  rang  out,  and  the  bullet  clipped  off 
a  bit  of  stone  directly  over  Ralph's  head. 

"  This  is  getting  interesting,"  said  the  younger 
Radbury,  with  a  shiver.  "  I'm  glad  he  struck  the 
rock  and  not  my  head." 

"  Do  you  think  the  shooter  was  Juan  the  Giant, 
Toletto,  or  some  Mexican  soldiers  ? "  asked  Dan. 

"  That's  hard  to  tell,"  returned  Poke,  with  a 
shrug  of  his  lean  shoulders.  "  I  reckon  the 
soldiers  would  fire  on  Americans  jest  as  quick  as 
the  Giant  would  fire  on  us  personally.  Ain't  no 
way,  as  I  can  see,  but  fer  one  of  us  to  go  forward 
and  see  what  it  means." 

"  Shall  I  go  ?  "  questioned  Dan,  promptly. 

"  No,  you  stay  here  with  Ralph,  and  I'll  go." 

The  young  soldiers  argued,  but  the  old  frontiers- 
man would  not  listen,  and  in  a  moment  more  Poke 
Stover  was  off,  crawling  around  the  rocks  and  into 
the  bushes  with  the  noiselessness  of  a  snake. 
The  two  young  soldiers  sat  down  in  something  of 
a  hollow,  waiting  with  their  guns  across  their  laps. 


A   BRUSH   WITH   THE  ENEMY 

Five,  ten,  fifteen  minutes  passed.  To 
waiters  it  seemed  much  longer,  and  they  ha 
consult  Dan's  watch  to  make  sure  that  it  was 
at  least  an  hour.  Ralph  presently  declarec 
heard  talking  in  the  distance,  but  the  soi 
whatever  they  were,  soon  died  out  and  were 
renewed. 

"  Poke  ought  to  be  coming  back  soon," 
Dan,  after  consulting  the  watch  for  the  tw 
time. 

"  When  he  comes  it  will  probably  be  as  n 
lessly  as  he  went,  Dan.  He  knows  our  ene 
cannot  be  far  —  hark  !  " 

They   listened.     From   a   distance   came 
shots,  followed  by  a  yelling  which  lasted  sc 
seconds.     Then  all  was  silent  again. 

"  I'm  going  to  see  what's  up,"  cried  3 
"Poke  may  be  in  trouble." 

"Then  I'm  going  too." 

"  No,  you  stay  here.  Poke  may  come  t 
and  if  he  doesn't  find  us  he'll  wonder  when 
have  gone  to.  If  I  don't  see  him  I'll  soon  ret 
But  be  on  guard." 

So  speaking  Dan  threw  himself  down  again 
followed  the  course  the  old  frontiersman  had 
sued.  He  was  soon  out  of  Ralph's  sight, 
then  the  young  soldier  found  himself  utterly  a 


66  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

on  the  rocky  rise,  which  was  hemmed  in  on  all 
sides  by  the  cliff  and  still  greater  hills. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Ralph  felt  anything 
but  easy  in  mind.  The  silence  in  itself  was  op- 
pressive, and  perhaps  the  premonition  of  danger 
so  close  at  hand  weighed  heavily  upon  him.  He 
turned  and  looked  in  every  direction,  but  no 
human  being  could  be  seen.     He  sighed  deeply. 

"  I  must  say  I'd  just  as  lief  be  back  in  camp," 
he  mused,  after  quarter  of  an  hour  had  passed. 
"Poke  or  Dan  ought  to  be  back  long  ago.  It's 
true  we  have  conquered  this  part  of  Mexico,  but  I 
reckon  these  rocky  hills  are  full  of  guerillas,  and 
they  are  ten  times  worse  than  the  regular  soldiers, 
for  they'd  cut  a  fellow's  throat  for  a  silver  dollar. 
If  they  don't  come  soon  I  really  won't  know  what 
to  think  of  it." 

Another  ten  minutes  went  by,  each  second 
dragging  more  heavily  than  those  gone  before. 
A  dozen  times  Ralph  got  up  and  walked  around 
the  rocks,  although  taking  care  not  to  expose  him- 
self to  a  possible  shot  from  the  cliff. 

At  last  he  could  bear  the  suspense  no  longer 
and  resolved  to  go  after  Dan.  Gun  in  hand  he 
began  to  crawl  over  the  rocks  until  he  came  to  a 
point  where  the  trail  seemed  to  divide  into  two 
parts. 


A  BRUSH  WITH  THE   ENEMY  6 

"  Which  trail  did  Poke  take,  and  did  Dan  tal? 
the  same  ? "  was  the  question  he  asked  himsel 
One  path  ran  over  the  bare  rocks,  the  other  int 
something  of  a  jungle  growing  at  one  end  of  th 
cliff,  which  was  several  hundred  feet  long.  H 
decided  to  pursue  the  latter  trail,  and  soon  move 
on  a  distance  of  a  dozen  yards. 

A  sound  disturbed  him,  and  he  came  to  a  hal 
wondering  what  it  meant.  He  looked  around,  bi 
could  see  no  one.  Had  it  been  a  bird  flying  froi 
one  bush  to  another  ?  He  looked  closely,  but  nc 
so  much  as  a  single  feather  showed  itself. 

"  I  must  be  getting  nervous  and  imaginin 
things,"  he  thought,  and  started  to  move  o 
again.  But  he  had  scarcely  taken  a  dozen  step 
when  he  heard  the  sound  again.  Then  a  shado1 
appeared  by  his  side,  and  in  a  twinkle  he  wa 
caught  and  forced  backward  by  one  person  whil 
another  caught  hold  of  his  gun  and  twisted  it  froi 
his  grasp. 

"  Halte  !  "  came  in  Spanish,  and  he  did  halt,  fc 
there  was  absolutely  nothing  else  to  do.  Looking 
he  found  himself  in  the  grasp  of  two  Mexican  so 
diers,  while  a  lieutenant  and  several  other  soldiei 
stood  near. 

Under  the  circumstances  it  would  have  bee 
foolhardy  for  Ralph  to  continue  the  unequal  coi 


68  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

test,  so  he  readily  made  signs  that  he  was  willing 
to  submit.  As  soon  as  he  did  this,  he  was  searched 
for  further  weapons,  and  then  his  hands  were  bound 
tightly  behind  him.  He  started  to  talk,  but  the 
Mexican  officer  in  charge  of  the  detachment  mo- 
tioned him  to  be  silent,  and  flourished  a  pistol 
under  his  very  nose  to  emphasize  the  command. 

Without  delay  the  command  quitted  the  spot, 
taking  a  trail  leading  still  farther  up  the  moun- 
tains. Ralph  was  burning  to  ask  questions,  want- 
ing to  know  what  had  become  of  Dan  and  Poke. 
But  he  could  not  talk  Spanish  sufficiently  well  to 
make  himself  understood,  and  the  command  to  re- 
main silent  was  not  withdrawn.  Once  he  uttered 
a  word  and  quickly  received  a  slap  over  the  mouth 
as  a  warning. 

A  two  hours'  tramp  followed,  taking  the  help- 
less young  soldier  many  miles  from  where  he 
had  parted  with  his  brother  and  his  old  frontier 
friend.  During  the  first  part  of  the  journey  the 
Mexicans  had  remained  silent  and  constantly  on 
guard,  —  for  they  suspected  an  American  detach- 
ment of  infantry  or  cavalry  might  be  near,  —  but 
as  the  mountain  fastnesses  were  approached  they 
became  more  talkative  and  chatted  quite  gaily 
among  themselves. 

Coming  to  him,  the  Mexican  lieutenant  began 


THE    MEXICAN    OFFICER    .    .    .    FLOURISHED    A    PISTOL    UNDER 
HIS    VERY    NOSE    TO    EMPHASIZE    THE    COMMAND" 


A   BRUSH   WITH   THE  ENEMY  69 

to  question  Ralph  in  Spanish.  The  young  soldier 
shook  his  head.  "  I  can't  talk  Spanish,"  he  said. 
"Talk  English."  And  at  this  the  lieutenant 
shrugged  his  shoulders,  lit  a  cigarette,  and  said  no 
more  to  him.  Not  one  of  the  Mexican  soldiers 
could  talk  English,  so  the  prisoner  remained 
unquestioned. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    CASTLE    IN    THE    MOUNTAINS 

Ralph's  heart  sank  lower  and  lower  as  the 
march  was  continued  farther  and  farther  into  the 
heart  of  the  mountainous  region.  To  what  point 
the  Mexican  soldiers  were  bound  he  could  not 
surmise.  At  a  convenient  spot  a  halt  was  made 
for  a  meal,  and  he  was  given  some  tortillas  and  a 
drink  of  coffee.  Again  he  tried  to  ask  questions 
and  again  he  failed  to  gain  any  information. 

At  last,  when  he  was  so  tired  he  could  scarcely 
stand,  they  came  in  sight  of  a  valley  below  them 
and  began  the  journey  downward  into  this.  Here 
the  trail  was  an  easy  one.  In  the  valley  was  a 
fair-sized  stream,  both  banks  of  which  were  lined 
with  trees  and  bushes. 

Presently  Ralph  caught  sight  of  a  large  ram- 
bling building,  built  not  far  away  from  the  bank 
of  the  stream.  It  was  of  stone,  two  stories  in 
height,  and  with  a  square  tower 'at  one  corner. 
That  the  building  was  very  old  could  be  seen  at  a 

70 


THE   CASTLE  IN   THE   MOUNTAINS 

glance,  and  Ralph  rightly  guessed  that  it  was 
old  Spanish  castle,  dating  back  to  the  beginni: 
of  the  former  century. 

"  I  wonder  if  we'll  stop  there,"  he  must 
He  was  not  kept  long  in  doubt,  for  the  detachme 
headed  directly  for  the  castle,  and  soon  after  e 
tered  the  ancient  courtyard,  where  they  join 
two  full  companies  of  Mexican  regulars.  T 
lieutenant  went  to  report  to  the  capitan  in  co 
mand,  and  meanwhile  Ralph  was  hustled  into  t 
building  and  into  a  small  side  room.  The  roc 
had  a  heavy  door  to  it,  and  this  was  closed  a: 
locked,  thus  making  him  a  close  prisoner. 

"Well,  I'm  in  a  pickle  and  no  mistake," 
groaned,  as  he  found  himself  alone  and  in  t 
dark.  His  hands  had  been  loosed  and  he  f< 
around  cautiously.  There  was  a  bench  in  t 
apartment,  and  he  threw  himself  down  on  this, 
rest  and  to  ponder  over  the  situation. 

His  mind  was  far  from  easy.     What  would  1 
captors  do  with  him  ?     Would  they  treat  him 
an  ordinary  prisoner  of  war,  or  would  they  cc 
sider  him  a  spy  and  stand  him  up  to  be  shot  ? 

"  They'll    shoot    me  if  they  possibly   can," 
thought.     "They  hate  to   bother  with  prisone 
Perhaps  they  have  already  done  away  with  D 
and  Poke."     Then  of  a  sudden  he  thought  of  t 


72  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

corpse  of  Enrique  Plassa.  Had  they  found  that, 
and  did  they  think  he  and  the  others  had  mur- 
dered the  poor  fellow  ? 

"  If  they  think  that  they  won't  have  any  mercy 
on  me,"  he  sighed.  "  Oh,  if  only  I  could  get  out 
of  this  !  " 

Having  rested  himself,  he  arose  and  felt  care- 
fully around  the  walls  of  the  room.  There  was 
only  one  slit  of  a  window,  several  feet  in  height, 
but  far  too  narrow  to  admit  the  passage  of  his 
body.  The  only  door  was  the  one  through  which 
he  had  entered,  and  this  refused  to  budge. 

"  Must  have  been  built  for  a  prison  cell,"  he 
sighed.  "  Anyway,  it's  as  good  as  any  first-class 
jail.  A  fellow  couldn't  get  out  of  here,  no  matter 
how  hard  he  tried." 

Slowly  night  came  on  and  Ralph  found  himself 
hungry  once  more.  The  room  was  pitch-dark 
now,  and  he  laid  himself  on  the  bench,  to  rest  if 
not  to  sleep. 

"  They  might  at  least  give  a  fellow  a  drink  of 
water,"  he  said,  and  after  waiting  a  bit  longer, 
began  to  hammer  on  the  door  with  his  fist. 

A  sentinel  appeared,  his  face  dark  and  angry. 
But  when  Ralph  pointed  to  his  tongue  and  said 
"Aqua,"  the  fellow  understood  and  grinned. 
Then  he  nodded  and  locked  the  door  again. 


THE    CASTLE  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS  J[ 

Quarter  of  an  hour  later  another  soldier  ap 
peared,  bringing  with  him  some  bread  and  mea 
and  a  pitcher  of  water.  He  had  a  bright  lanten 
on  his  arm,  which  he  set  down  on  the  bench,  s< 
that  Ralph  might  see  to  eat.  The  prisoner  triec 
to  talk  to  the  Mexican,  but  the  fellow  mereh 
shook  his  head  and  proceeded  to  smoke  a  ciga 
rette  in  silence. 

While  eating  Ralph  gazed  around  his  prisoi 
cell,  noting  every  detail.  The  walls  were  as  solk 
as  his  feeling  of  them  had  indicated,  and  the  ceil 
ing  above  was  heavily  beamed  and  floored. 

Then  his  gaze  strayed  to  the  flooring  of  th< 
room.  In  a  corner  he  saw  something  whicl 
caused  him  to  start,  but  he  instantly  turned  hi: 
eyes  away,  that  the  eyes  of  the  Mexican  guan 
might  not  turn  in  the  same  direction. 

As  soon  as  the  meal  was  over,  the  guard  aros< 
and  took  up  the  platter  and  his  lantern,  but  lef 
the  pitcher  with  the  water  behind.  Ralph  pointec 
to  the  light,  but  the  Mexican  shook  his  heac 
decidedly.  He  could  not  leave  the  lantern ;  th< 
prisoner  must  go  to  sleep  in  the  dark. 

"Well,  I  suppose  you  are  only  obeying  orders,' 
said  Ralph,  and  smiled  faintly,  at  which  the  Mexi 
can  grinned.  Then,  to  show  his  friendliness,  th< 
guard   offered    Ralph  a  cigarette,  and  the  youtl 


74  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

accepted  it  with  a  bow,  although  he  did  not 
smoke.  But  he  took  good  care  the  cigarette 
should  be  well  lit  ere  the  guard  took  his  leave, 
locking  the  door  as  before. 

The  moment  he  found  himself  alone  Ralph 
dropped  on  his  hands  and  knees.  He  had  seen 
cracks  in  the  floor  which  would  seem  to  indicate 
the  presence  of  a  trap-door.  By  the  glow  from 
the  cigarette  he  located  the  cracks  again,  and  also 
a  small  ring,  which  a  leg  of  the  bench  had  con- 
cealed. He  pulled  on  the  ring,  and  with  a  creak 
of  its  rusty  hinges  the  trap  came  up,  revealing  a 
pitch-black  hole  beneath.  Then  the  cigarette 
went  out,  and  although  Ralph  pulled  upon  it  as  if 
he  was  a  veteran  smoker,  it  refused  to  light  up, 
and  he  was  left  again  in  total  darkness. 

Should  he  trust  himself  in  the  black  hole,  in  an 
endeavor  to  find  a  way  to  the  outer  world  ?  It 
was  a  delicate  question,  for  there  was  no  telling 
how  deep  the  hole  was  and  where  it  might  lead  to. 

"  These  ancient  castles  always  have  underground 
passages  leading  to  somewhere,"  he  told  himself, 
"  and  this  must  lead  to  somewhere,  too.  I'm 
going  to  venture  it.  If  I  get  badly  stuck  I  can 
yell  for  help." 

With  this  conclusion,  he  allowed  himself  to  drop 
into  the   hole,  which    proved  to  be  about  twelve 


THE    CASTLE  IN   THE  MOUNTAINS  f\ 

feet  deep.  At  the  bottom  was  a  rough  slab  o 
rock,  partly  covered  with  dust  and  dirt.  Then 
were  also  three  walls  of  stone ;  and  a  passageway 
running,  so  he  thought,  in  the  direction  of  the  river 

Ralph  had  not  proceeded  down  the  passagewa; 
far  when  his  foot  slipped  in  a  pool  of  water  am 
down  he  went  on  his  back,  splashing  the  water  ii 
every  direction.  He  quickly  arose  and  came  to  ; 
halt,  not  knowing  how  deep  the  water  might  be. 

"  Perhaps  a  part  of  the  river  runs  in  under  th« 
castle,"  he  muttered.  "  If  it  does,  I  may  have  t< 
swim  for  it  before  I  reach  the  open  air,  just  a: 
Dan  and  Poke  had  to  swim  for  it,  when  the] 
escaped  at  the  fall  of  the  Alamo."  He  heaved  ; 
sigh.     "  Wish  I  knew  where  Dan  and  Poke  were.' 

He  halted  for  several  minutes,  and  then,  no 
caring  to  remain  where  he  was  or  to  go  back,  ad 
vanced  into  the  water,  but  with  caution.  Th 
pool  proved  to  be  not  over  a  foot  deep  and  scarcel; 
a  rod  long,  and  soon  he  found  himself  on  dr 
ground  again. 

The  passageway  at  the  start  had  been  severa 
yards  wide,  but  as  he  proceeded  he  stumbled  01 
some  loose  stones  and  dirt,  showing  that  one  o 
the  sides  had  at  some  past  time  partly  caved  in 
He  put  up  his  arm  and  felt  the  loose  dirt  and  root 
over  his  head. 


j6  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

This  gave  him  a  new  idea.  Could  he  dig  his 
way  upward,  by  standing  on  a  pile  of  stones  and 
cutting  at  the  dirt  overhead  ?  This  might  prove  a 
dangerous  proceeding,  but,  if  he  wanted  to  escape 
he  must  be  willing  to  take  some  risk. 

Feeling  on  the  ground,  he  found  several  some- 
what flat  stones  and  piled  them  one  on  top  of  the 
other  with  care.  Then  he  stood  on  the  pile  and 
found  he  could  touch  the  dirt  above  with  his  head. 
He  felt  around  and  touched  the  roots  of  a  tree. 

"  I  don't  know  as  it  would  be  safe  to  dig  near 
these,"  he  mused.  "  If  the  tree  came  down  it 
might  squash  me  flat  under  it.  I  had  better  try 
some  other  spot." 

As  rapidly  as  he  could  he  shifted  his  pile  of 
stones.  This  was  no  light  task,  for  two  of  the 
stones  were  in  weight  all  that  he  could  lift.  Then 
he  began  to  dig  away  at  a  place  several  yards  away 
from  the  tree  roots. 

He  was  proceeding  with  caution,  for  the  dirt 
was  apt  to  come  down  into  his  eyes,  when  a  sound 
in  the  direction  of  the  castle  startled  him.  Look- 
ing down  the  passageway,  he  caught  the  glimmer 
of  a  light. 

"They  have  discovered  my  escape !  "  he  thought, 
and  his  heart  sank  within  him.  "  They  are  coming 
after  me!" 


THE    CASTLE  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS  J? 

He  leaped  from  the  pile  of  rocks  and  started  to 
run,  tumbling  headlong  over  a  mass  of  loose  dirt 
and  stones  not  fifty  feet  farther  on.  The  way 
now  led  upward,  and  soon  his  hand  struck  a  mass 
of  brushwood. 

"I  must  be  getting  close  to  the  open  air,"  he 
murmured.  "Oh,  if  I  can  only  get  away  !  "  And 
he  renewed  his  efforts,  pitching  headlong  half  a 
dozen  times,  but  each  time  picking  himself  up 
quickly.  His  face  and  eyes  were  full  of  loose 
dirt  and  he  was  more  than  half  blinded. 

The  voices  behind  him  kept  coming  nearer,  and 
he  heard  a  shout  and  saw  another  glimmer  of  light. 
Then,  of  a  sudden,  came  a  fall  of  earth  and  rocks 
somewhere  to  the  rear,  and  the  voices  and  the 
light  were  suddenly  shut  off  from  him. 

"  Something  came  down,  that's  certain,"  he  told 
himself.  "  Must  have  been  that  patch  of  dirt  and 
rocks  I  was  poking  at.  Wonder  if  it  came  down 
on  top  of  the  Mexicans  and  buried  them  ?  " 

He  felt  compelled  to  pause,  for  he  was  out  of 
breath  and  the  dirt  was  thick  in  both  eyes.  The 
silence  lasted  for  fully  half  a  minute,  and  then 
came  a  faint  murmur,  as  if  coming  from  the  other 
side  of  a  mass  of  ground  several  feet  thick. 

"The  stuff  just  came  down  in  time  to  cut  them 
off,"  he  concluded,  and  this  surmise  was  correct. 


78  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  Now  I  must  get  away  before  they  can  dig  through 
to  here,  or  go  back  and  give  the  alarm." 

And  once  more  he  moved  onward,  through  the 
darkness,  bound  to  get  away  if  such  a  deed  were 
possible. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

DAN    AMONG   THE    CACTI 

Let  us  go  back  to  Dan  and  learn  how  he  fared 
after  leaving  Ralph  to  follow  Poke  Stover. 

Dan  knew  only  too  well  that  the  entire  party  was 
in  a  position  of  extreme  peril  and  that  a  false  move 
might  cause  one  or  another  his  life.  Therefore  he 
crawled  over  the  rocks  and  around  the  bushes  in 
the  same  snake-like  fashion  the  frontiersman  had 
employed. 

Soon  he  came  to  the  split  in  the  trail  and  here 
hesitated  for  a  moment.  But  then  a  mark  of  the 
toe  of  Poke's  boot  caught  his  eyes  and  told  him 
which  path  to  choose,  and  again  he  went  ahead. 

Several  hundred  yards  were  covered  when  Dan 
came  to  a  sudden  halt.  A  murmur  of  voices  had 
reached  his  ears,  followed  by  a  swishing  sound,  as 
if  something  had  been  flung  through  the  air  across 
the  top  of  some  brushwood.  Then  all  became  as 
silent  as  before. 

79 


80  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  Now,  what  can  that  mean  ?  "  he  asked  himself, 
but  the  question  could  not  be  answered. 

Once  more  he  moved  ahead,  but  this  time  with 
more  caution  than  ever,  if  such  a  thing  were 
possible.  He  was  now  going  down  a  slight  hill,  at 
the  foot  of  which  the  ground  was  moist,  showing 
he  was  in  a  hollow  having  no  outlet.  Here  Poke's 
footsteps  could  be  plainly  seen,  and  encouraged  by 
this  he  pressed  on  faster  than  ever. 

Having  ascended  a  small  hill,  Dan  found  himself 
facing  a  second  cliff,  one  running  at  almost  right 
angles  to  the  first.  Here  the  ground  was  hard  and 
full  of  stones,  and  he  had  not  progressed  far  before 
he  ran  into  a  thick  bed  of  cacti,  growing  to  a 
height  of  several  feet.  The  thorns  of  the  plants 
stuck  out  in  all  directions,  catching  on  his  clothing 
and  giving  him  more  than  one  severe  scratch. 

In  trying  to  avoid  the  worst  of  the  cacti  the 
young  soldier  unconsciously  wandered  from  the 
right  trail,  although  he  did  not  realize  his  mistake 
until  some  time  later.  Moving  on  and  on,  expect- 
ing to  catch  sight  of  Poke  at  any  instant,  he  went 
deeper  and  deeper  into  the  wild  growth  until,  com- 
ing to  another  hollow,  he  suddenly  found  himself 
amid  cacti  reaching  over  his  head  and  shutting  in 
the  view  on  every  side. 

"  Hullo  !     This  won't  do,"  he  told  himself,  and 


DAN  AMONG    THE    CACTI  8 1 

after  pausing  a  minute  to  rest  and  get  his  bearing, 
started  to  retrace  his  steps. 

It  was  then  that  he  discovered  how  he  had 
missed  Poke's  trail.  Soon  he  came  to  a  spot 
where  the  way  forked  into  three  directions,  and 
as  this  was  over  a  smooth  bit  of  rocky  ground, 
even  his  own  trail  could  not  be  discovered.  But 
he  went  on,  thinking  to  right  himself  in  a  moment 
more.     And  thus  he  became  hopelessly  lost. 

Some  distant  shots  made  him  halt  again.  He 
listened  for  a  possible  cry  from  Ralph  or  Poke,  but 
none  came. 

He  had  scarcely  taken  another  step  forward 
when  a  hiss  at  his  very  feet  made  him  leap  back  in 
fresh  alarm.  There  on  the  rocks  was  a  rattlesnake, 
a  reptile  all  too  common  in  this  part  of  Mexico. 

The  rattlesnake  was  ready  to  strike  at  Dan,  and 
the  young  soldier  lost  no  time  in  leaping  into  the 
cacti  behind  him.  In  doing  this,  he  landed  close 
to  the  hole  of  the  reptile,  and  in  a  twinkle  two 
other  rattlesnakes  glided  out,  rattling  ominously. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Dan  was  scared,  for 
he  knew  only  too  well  how  poisonous  the  sting  of 
a  rattler  is.  He  made  another  leap,  and  then,  as 
two  of  the  snakes  advanced,  he  blazed  away  with 
his  gun. 

His  aim  was  better  than  he  had  anticipated,  for 


82  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

the  bullet  hit  one  of  the  reptiles  in  the  head  and 
caught  the  second  in  the  body  directly  behind  the 
neck.  There  was  a  wild  thrashing  around,  and  one 
of  the  snakes  tried  to  wind  itself  about  Dan's  leg. 
But  he  turned  and  ran,  making  leaps  into  the  cacti 
that  would  have  done  credit  to  a  frightened  deer. 

When  he  at  last  considered  himself  out  of 
immediate  danger  the  young  soldier  found  himself 
more  hopelessly  lost  than  ever.  His  uniform  was 
torn  in  a  dozen  places,  and  both  his  hands  and  his 
face  were  bleeding  from  the  scratches  received. 

He  reloaded  his  firearm  and  gazed  around  him, 
and  heaved  a  deep  sigh. 

"  I'm  making  a  first-class  mess  of  it,  that's  what 
I'm  doing,"  he  murmured.  "  It  would  have  been 
much  better  had  I  remained  with  Ralph.  Now, 
I've  lost  them  both,  and  there's  no  telling  when  I 
will  find  either  of  them  again." 

He  took  another  good  look  around,  — which  was 
not  saying  much,  since  the  ever-present  cacti  cut 
off  his  vision  in  almost  every  direction,  —  and  then 
started  to  regain  the  place  where  he  had  left  Ralph. 

At  last  he  found  himself  on  a  small  rise  of 
ground.  At  a  great  distance  he  could  see  the  first 
cliff  and  the  spot  where  he  had  left  his  brother. 
To  his  left  was  a  rough  series  of  rocks  with  a  trail 
running  to  the  southward. 


DAN  AMONG    THE    CACTI  83 

As  he  gazed  at  this  trail  he  saw  a  sight  which 
filled  him  with  surprise.  Some  Mexican  soldiers 
were  riling  along,  some  on  horseback  and  the  others 
on  foot.  All  carried  heavy  loads  which  looked  as 
if  they  might  contain  ammunition. 

"  They  are  removing  ammunition  on  the  sly !  " 
he  muttered.  "  I'll  wager  that  is  some  of  the  stuff 
we  couldn't  locate  when  General  Taylor  took 
possession  of  Matamoras." 

He  watched  the  Mexicans  with  interest  and  did 
not  move  until  a  bend  in  the  mountain  trail  hid 
them  from  view. 

"  I'm  glad  I  didn't  fall  in  with  them,"  he  told 
himself.  "  They  would  either  have  shot  me  down 
or  made  me  a  prisoner  in  jig  time." 

Dan  now  took  his  bearings  with  care,  realizing 
that  if  he  made  another  mistake  he  might  become 
hopelessly  lost  among  the  cacti.  His  running  and 
climbing  had  thoroughly  tired  him,  and  the 
unclouded  sun  had  made  him  both  hot  and  thirsty. 
But  no  water  was  at  hand,  and  he  had  to  go  without 
a  drink,  an  added  hardship. 

As  he  advanced  he  kept  his  eyes  open  for  more 
rattlesnakes,  and  it  was  well  that  he  did  this,  for  he 
had  covered  less  than  a  hundred  yards  when  he  ran 
into  another  nest  of  the  reptiles,  which  this  time 
numbered  fully  a  score. 


84  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

He  had  to  blaze  away  a  second  time,  for  one  of 
the  rattlers,  resting  on  a  rock  in  front  of  him,  flew 
directly  for  his  face.  The  snake  received  the  bul- 
let directly  into  one  of  those  blazing  eyes,  and  was 
fairly  paralyzed,  for  the  leaden  messenger  travelled 
down  into  his  neck  and  along  his  back.  Once 
more  Dan  ran,  and,  fancying  the  snakes  behind 
him,  kept  on  until  he  was  about  ready  to  drop 
from  exhaustion. 

A  rest,  and  again  the  young  soldier  set  off  on 
the  tramp,  so  tired  he  could  scarcely  drag  one 
foot  after  the  other.  He  had  lost  all  interest  in 
locating  Juan  the  Giant  and  Jose  Toletto,  and  his 
one  thought  was  to  rejoin  Ralph  and  Poke,  and 
get  far  away  from  such  a  disagreeable  bit  of  terri- 
tory as  this  was  proving  to  be. 

"  If  once  I  get  out  of  this  cacti  I'll  steer  clear 
of  it  in  the  future,"  was  what  he  told  himself.  "  I 
declare,  they  are  worse  than  a  nest  of  hornets." 

Once  more  he  had  become  completely  turned 
around,  and  it  was  only  by  looking  at  the  sun  that 
he  was  able  to  get  even  a  general  "lay  of  the 
land." 

Presently,  as  if  to  tantalize  him,  he  came  to  a 
hollow  in  the  rocks,  where  there  was  a  deep  pool 
of  water  almost  as  clear  as  crystal.  He  gave  a 
sigh  of  relief. 


DAN  AMONG    THE    CACTI  85 

"A  drink  at  last,"  he  cried,  "and  a  good 
wash  !  "  But,  alas !  when  he  went  to  drink  the 
water  he  found  it  so  brackish  and  full  of  salts 
he  could  not  swallow  a  mouthful. 

With  his  mouth  "full  of  cotton,"  as  he  after- 
ward termed  it,  he  staggered  on,  each  foot  now 
feeling  as  heavy  as  lead.  He  had  spent  several 
hours  in  the  tangle  of  cacti,  and  he  wondered 
what  Poke  and  Ralph  were  doing  in  the  mean- 
time. 

"  I  suppose  Poke  has  rejoined  Ralph,  and  both 
are  wondering  what  has  become  of  me,"  he  mused. 
"  I  wish  I  could  lay  out  a  straight  course  for  the 
spot  where  I  parted  with  Ralph."  But  this  he 
could  not  do,  and  so  had  to  blunder  onward  as 
best  he  could. 

Soon  after  this,  much  to  his  relief,  the  growth 
of  cacti  came  to  an  end,  and  he  found  himself  in 
the  shelter  of  a  dense  grove  of  trees,  the  shade  of 
which  proved  more  than  welcome  to  him.  Here 
he  felt  compelled  to  sit  down  and  rest,  and,  while 
he  did  this,  he  attended,  as  well  as  he  was  able,  to 
the  many  scratches  he  had  received.  Among  the 
trees  he  found  a  small  pool  of  rain  -  water,  and, 
though  this  was  warm,  it  proved  delicious,  both  for 
drinking  and  for  bathing  his  hands  and  face. 

He  was  about  to  leave  the  pool  when,  on  gazing 


86  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

at  the  ground,  he  discovered  the  hoof-prints  of  a 
horse  running  from  the  pool  into  the  brushwood 
beyond. 

"  Somebody  has  been  here  !  "  he  thought.  "  A 
horseman.  Can  it  have  been  one  of  those  Mexi- 
cans ?  If  so,  I'll  have  to  be  on  my  guard,  or  I'll 
be  captured  and  made  a  prisoner  of  war." 

After  making  the  discovery,  he  lost  no  time  in 
seeking  the  shelter  of  the  bushes,  and  then  he 
pushed  onward,  laying  a  course  which  he  thought 
would  bring  him  out  on  the  highway  leading  from 
Toletto's  plantation  to  the  mountain  path. 

He  was  just  passing  a  clump  of  bushes  when  a 
sound  reached  his  ears  like  the  moving  of  some- 
body close  at  hand. 

Instantly  he  stopped  and  crouched  down,  grasp- 
ing his  gun  tightly.  The  sound  kept  coming 
closer  and  closer,  until  he  felt  that  the  invisible 
horseman  was  almost  on  top  of  him.  He  strained 
his  eyes,  and  caught  sight  of  the  horse's  fore- 
shoulder. 

Then  he  gave  a  little  cry  of  joy.  The  horse 
was  not  one  belonging  to  the  army,  —  at  least,  its 
trappings  were  of  the  ordinary  Mexican  kind,  and, 
what  was  more,  it  was  riderless. 

Rising,  he  walked  straight  to  the  animal.  The 
horse  seemed  to  be  glad  to  meet  a  human  being, 


THE    HORSE    SEEMED    TO    BE    GLAD    TO    MEET    A    HUMAN   BEING, 
AND    DID    NOT    ATTEMPT    TO    RUN    AWAY  " 


DAN  AMONG    THE    CACTI  87 

and  did  not  attempt  to  run  away,  but  brushed  his 
nose  affectionately  along  Dan's  arm. 

"Want  to  make  friends,  eh?"  said  the  young 
soldier.  "  Well,  I'm  willing  enough,  I  can  tell  you 
that."  He  patted  the  animal  on  the  head.  "  Will 
you  give  me  a  ride  ?  Will,  eh  ?  All  right,  I'll  try 
you." 

In  a  second  more  he  was  in  the  saddle.  The 
horse  did  not  attempt  to  move  until  bidden  to  do 
so,  and  then  set  off  at  a  gentle  pace,  which  was 
decidedly  welcome  to  poor  overtired  Dan. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

ORDERED    FORWARD 

Being  on  horseback  gave  Dan  a  feeling  of 
greater  safety.  If  the  enemy  should  suddenly 
appear  in  force,  he  would  be  able  to  ride  for  it, 
and  he  did  not  doubt  but  that  his  horse  could  do 
about  as  well  as  the  average  animal  in  the  Mexican 
service. 

"And  the  rattlers  can't  get  at  me,  either,"  was 
his  comment.  "  Ugh  !  how  I  hate  the  things  ! " 
And  he  gave  a  shudder. 

It  was  impossible  to  strike  a  straight  course 
through  the  bushes  and  the  grove  of  trees,  but, 
after  riding  a  bit,  Dan  came  out  on  something  like 
a  highway.  That  it  had  not  been  used  for  some 
time  was  evident,  for  the  mud  of  the  recent  rains 
lay  undisturbed. 

«  By  the  eternal,  ef  it  ain't  Dan  !  " 

The  voice  sounded  almost  like  a  shot  to  the 
young  soldier,  and  he    brought    his    steed  up  so 

88 


ORDERED   FORWARD  89 

quickly,  the  animal  reared  on  his  haunches.     He 
could  see  nobody. 

"  Poke,  is  that  you  ? "  he  queried,  as  soon  as  he 
recovered. 

"  Thet's  wot,  Dan  ! "  And  now  Poke  Stover 
dropped  from  a  near-by  tree,  and  strode  forward. 
"  An'  on  a  hoss,  too !  Well,  this  beats  the 
nation !  " 

"  I  picked  this  horse  up  a  little  while  ago.  But 
where  have  you  been  ?  I've  been  hunting  high 
and  low  for  you." 

"An'  I've  been  huntin'  high  an'  low  fer  you 
an'  Ralph." 

"  Ralph  !     Isn't  he  where  we  left  him  ?  " 

"  You  mean  whar  I  left  both  on  ye  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  No  —  leastwise,  I  couldn't  see  nuthin'  of  him 
—  nor  of  you." 

"  I  went  off  to  learn  what  had  become  of  you, 
after  you  had  been  gone  quite  awhile." 

"  I  see.     An'  left  Ralph  on  guard  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"Well,  he  ain't  there  now,  Dan.  An'  I've 
hunted  high  an'  low  fer  him  an'  fer  you." 

"  He  must  have  gone  off  to  look  for  both  of  us. 
What  a  hide-and-seek  game  it  has  been  !  I  got 
lost  in  the  cacti  and  almost  stung  by  rattlesnakes, 


90  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

and  I  was  about  ready  to  drop  when  I  ran  across 
this  horse." 

"  Don't  know  nuthin'  about  his  owner  ?  " 

"  No.  He's  a  pretty  good  beast,  one  can  see 
that." 

"That's  so." 

"  What  did  you  do  after  you  left  us  ? " 

"Tried  to  locate  them  shots.  But  I  couldn't  do 
it.  Then  I  heard  voices  and  followed  up  three 
Mexicans,  thinking  they  was  Juan  the  Giant,  Jose 
Toletto,  and  another.  But  they  wasn't,  so  I  had 
my  troubles  fer  my  pains.  Then  I  went  back 
to  join  you  an'  Ralph,  an'  couldn't  find  either  on 
ye." 

"  I  hope  Ralph  didn't  get  into  trouble  while  we 
were  gone,"  said  Dan,  anxiously.  "  If  he  fell  in 
with  Badillo  and  Toletto  when  he  was  all  alone  it 
might  go  hard  with  him.  Did  you  hear  any 
firing  ? " 

"  Some,  but  not  in  that  direction.  By  the  way, 
I've  had  neither  grub  nor  water,  have  you  ? " 

"  I've  had  a  drink,  but  nothing  to  eat.  I  wish 
we  knew  where  Ralph  had  taken  himself  to  ? " 

"  So  do  I,  Dan.  We'll  have  to  keep  on  hunting 
for  him." 

They  moved  forward,  and  presently  struck  a 
side  trail  which,   in  the  course  of  half  an  hour, 


ORDERED   FORWARD  9 1 

brought  them  to  the  spot  where  they  had  left 
Ralph.  Each  gazed  around  with  an  anxious  look 
on  his  face. 

"Not  here,"  came  laconically  from  the  old 
frontiersman.  "  An'  he  ain't  been  here  since  I 
was  here  before,  nuther." 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  see  the  writin'  I  left  on  the  rock  ? 
If  he  had  been  here  he  would  have  left  an 
answer." 

"  That's  true.  What  do  you  reckon  we  had  best 
do  next  ? " 

The  old  frontiersman  scratched  his  head. 

"  Must  say  as  I  hardly  know  what  to  advise, 
Dan.  Of  course  we  don't  want  to  leave  Ralph 
behind." 

"Well,  I  just  guess  not !  " 

"  Exactly,  an'  thet  bein'  so,  all  we  can  do  is  to 
stay  around  an'  keep  our  eyes  open." 

"  If  he  went  off  of  his  own  free  will  he'd  come 
back  here  —  if  he  could  get  back." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it,  Dan." 

Fortunately  they  had  brought  with  them  some 
army  rations,  which  had  been  left  at  the  rocks. 
They  now  ate  their  portion  of  the  food,  and  Poke 
went  off  in  search  of  a  spring  below  the  rocks, 
where  he  filled  their  canteens  with  water.     Then, 


92  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

tethering  the  horse  close  by,  both  rested  in  the 
grass. 

Slowly  the  day  grew  to  a  close.  With  the  going 
down  of  the  sun  Dan's  heart  grew  heavier  and 
heavier.  Surely  Ralph  had  gotten  into  trouble. 
Perhaps  he  was  dead  ?  He  gave  something  of  a 
groan,  which  reached  Poke's  ears. 

"Don't  take  it  so  hard,  lad,"  said  the  frontiers- 
man.    "  Let  us  hope  fer  the  best." 

"  Shall  we  stay  here  all  night,  Poke  ? " 

"  I  don't  reckon  it  would  do  any  good.  We  had 
better  return  to  camp  and  report.  Maybe  the 
commander  will  send  a  detachment  out  at  day- 
break, —  to  look  into  thet  matter  of  Mexicans  and 
ammunition,  — and  thet  will  give  us  another 
chance  to  look  around  fer  your  brother." 

"  I  hope  it  does  —  if  he  doesn't  —  return  in  the 
meantime." 

When  they  started  to  return  to  camp  the  horse 
was  thoroughly  rested,  so  both  rode  the  greater 
part  of  the  way.  Nothing  of  importance  happened 
en  route,  and  on  arriving  at  camp  they  went  straight 
to  headquarters. 

The  commander  in  charge  listened  with  interest 
to  what  Dan  had  to  report. 

"  If  those  Mexicans  were  carrying  ammunition 
we  ought   certainly  to  get   after  them,"  he   said. 


ORDERED   FORWARD  93 

"  I  know  we  are  surrounded  by  enemies,  and  if  we 
can  stop  such  work  it  will  teach  them  at  least  one 
lesson." 

The  matter  was  talked  over  for  quarter  of  an 
hour,  and  Poke  was  also  questioned.  Then  it  was 
decided  to  send  out  a  company  of  soldiers  early  the 
next  morning,  and  Dan  and  Poke  were  told  they 
could  go  along  as  guides. 

Had  his  mind  been  free  from  care,  Dan  would 
have  slept  soundly  that  night.  But  his  thoughts 
were  continually  on  Ralph,  and  it  was  a  good  two 
hours  ere  he  went  to  sleep,  and  then  it  was  to 
dream  of  all  sorts  of  troubles,  both  for  his  brother 
and  himself. 

The  company  to  go  out  was  that  to  which  Dan 
and  Poke  belonged.  The  officers  were  on  horse- 
back, and  Poke  was  likewise  provided  with  a  steed, 
while  Dan  rode  the  animal  he  had  picked  up,  and 
which  he  had  named  Star,  because  of  a  blaze  on 
his  forehead. 

Three  hours  later  found  the  soldiers  in  the  heart 
of  the  territory  where  Poke  and  Dan  had  instituted 
their  search.  At  first  they  could  discover  but 
little,  and  the  captain  in  command  was  thinking 
of  going  back,  when  some  of  his  men  came  upon 
some  ammunition  lying  on  the  road,  along  with  a 
part  of  a  box  cover,  which  had  been  broken  off. 


94  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  You  are  right  about  the  ammunition,"  said 
the  captain  to  Dan.  "  I  only  hope  the  greasers 
come  along  with  more." 

A  little  later  Poke,  who  had  climbed  a  tree  to 
take  a  look  around,  announced  that  a  body  of 
Mexicans  were  coming  along  the  mountain  trail 
to  the  westward.  The  enemy  were  about  twenty 
in  number,  and  had  with  them  twelve  horses 
and  mules,  all  heavily  loaded  with  boxes  and 
bundles. 

As  soon  as  this  announcement  was  made,  the 
captain  ordered  his  command  to  march  on  the 
Mexicans,  and  away  went  the  Americans  on 
the  double-quick,  over  the  rocks  and  through 
the  mesquite  brush. 

The  two  parties  were  still  two  hundred  yards 
apart  when  the  Mexicans  discovered  the  enemy 
and  set  up  a  shout  of  alarm.  At  first  they  were 
for  taking  a  stand,  and  a  dozen  or  more  shots  were 
exchanged.  But  then  the  Mexicans  took  to  their 
heels,  urging  the  horses  and  mules  along  with  all 
speed. 

"After  them!"  came  the  command,  and  the 
company  of  soldiers  did  as  bidden,  and  soon  an- 
other volley  of  shots  were  exchanged.  Two 
Mexicans  dropped,  one  killed  outright  and  the 
other  badly  wounded.     The  balance  of  the  party 


ORDERED   FORWARD  95 

ran  into  the  bushes,  leaving  their  horses  and  mules 
to  take  care  of  themselves. 

An  hour  later  the  horses  and  mules  were  rounded 
up,  and  the  boxes  and  bundles  were  found  to 
contain  not  only  ammunition,  but  also  some  medi- 
cines of  which  the  Mexican  soldiers  were  in  need. 
Everything  was  of  course  confiscated.  Two  Mexi- 
cans were  captured,  but  the  others  could  not  be 
found. 

After  this  skirmish  a  hunt  lasting  three  hours 
was  instituted,  but  nothing  could  be  learned  con- 
cerning Ralph.  Dan  was  more  disheartened  than 
ever. 

"We'll  have  to  give  it  up,"  said  the  captain  to 
the  young  soldier.  "  I  am  sorry  for  you,  but  what 
more  can  I  do  ?  " 

"  I  would  like  to  question  the  prisoners,"  said 
Dan. 

Permission  was  given,  and  through  one  of  the 
soldiers  who  could  talk  Spanish  the  prisoners  and 
also  the  wounded  Mexican  were  closely  questioned. 

The  men  who  were  uninjured  could  tell  nothing, 
but  the  wounded  prisoner  was  better  informed. 

"  Yes,  I  know  of  the  young  soldier,"  he  said. 
"  He  was  captured  and  taken  forward  as  a  prisoner 
of  war,"  and  he  gave  some  of  the  details,  as 
already  recorded  in  these  pages. 


g6  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  Where  will  they  take  him  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  tell  exactly.  Probably  to  one  of  our 
Mexican  prisons  or  prison  yards." 

This  was  all  the  Mexican  could  tell,  but  it  was 
enough  to  make  Dan  shudder.  Ralph  was  then 
really  a  prisoner.  Would  he  ever  see  his  brother 
again  ? 

"  It's  too  bad,"  he  groaned.  "  I've  been  a  pris- 
oner myself  and  I  know  just  how  bad  they  can 
treat  a  fellow." 

The  Mexicans  were  questioned  about  Juan  the 
Giant  and  Jose  Toletto,  and  one  of  them  said  he 
believed  the  men  had  gone  southward,  although 
to  where  he  could  not  tell.  He  said  Juan  the 
Giant  was  well  known  and  had  more  enemies  than 
friends,  and  consequently  was  liable  to  keep  him- 
self out  of  sight  most  of  the  time. 

When  the  command  returned  to  camp  it  was 
found  that  orders  had  come  in  to  move  forward 
without  delay.  General  Scott  was  ready  to  sail 
down  the  gulf  with  his  flotilla  of  warships  and 
transports,  and  they  must  march  to  the  transport 
and  get  aboard  without  further  loss  of  time. 

"  I  wish  I  could  stay  behind,"  said  Dan,  regret- 
fully.    "  I  might  be  able  to  help  Ralph  somehow." 

"I  can't  see  it,  Dan,"  answered  Poke.  "We 
may  be  able  to  do  more  good  by  going  forward 


ORDERED  FORWARD  97 

with  General  Scott  and  bringing  the  greasers  to 
terms.  As  soon  as  the  war  is  over  all  the  prisoners 
will  most  likely  be  set  free." 

"  Yes,  but  the  war  isn't  over  yet,  Poke  —  not 
by  a  good  deal,"  concluded  the  young  soldier. 
And  he  told  the  truth,  as  the  chapters  to  follow 
will  prove. 


CHAPTER    X. 

GENERAL    WINFIELD    SCOTT 

For  the  expedition  now  at  hand  no  American 
commander  was  more  competent  to  take  charge 
than  was  General  Winfield  Scott,  who  was  now 
advancing  upon  Vera  Cruz  with  about  twelve 
thousand  soldiers,  which  included  the  divisions  of 
Generals  Worth,  Pillow,  Quitman,  and  Twiggs, 
these  having  all  joined  the  war-ships  and  transports 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande. 

General  Scott  was  of  Southern  blood,  having 
been  born  in  Petersburg,  Virginia,  in  1786.  After 
a  course  at  William  and  Mary  College  he  became 
a  lawyer  at  the  age  of  twenty.  But  this  evidently 
did  not  suit  his  taste,  and  two  years  later  he 
became  a  soldier,  entering  the  United  States  army 
as  captain. 

He  was  now  in  his  element,  and  when  the  war 
of  18 12  broke  out  he  went  to  the  front  and  dis- 
tinguished himself  at  the  attack  on  Queenstown 
Heights  and  at  the  battles  of  Chippewa,  Lundy's 

98 


GENERAL    WINFIELD  SCOTT  99 

Lane  and  other  contests,  which  speedily  raised 
him  to  the  position  of  a  brevet  major-general. 

The  second  war  with  England  was  followed  by 
twenty  years  of  comparative  peace,  but  when  the 
war  with  the  Creeks  and  Seminole  Indians  broke 
out  in  1835,  General  Scott  again  became  a  leading 
figure,  and  so  effective  was  his  military  work  that 
in  1 84 1  he  was  made  commander-in-chief  of  the 
whole  United  States  army.  He  assumed  the  posi- 
tion with  a  strong  determination  to  place  our  army 
on  a  first-class  footing,  and  it  was  largely  through 
his  efforts  that  Taylor  and  other  generals  were 
enabled  to  do  such  effective  work  along  the  Rio 
Grande  and  at  other  points. 

The  commands  to  which  Dan,  Ralph,  and  Poke 
belonged  had  been  assigned  to  quarters  on  a  large 
transport  which  had  in  years  gone  by  done  duty  as 
a  cotton-boat  on  the  Mississippi.  The  craft  was 
roomy,  and  though  the  soldiers  were  at  rather  close 
quarters,  they  were  by  no  means  crowded.  But 
the  weather  was  growing  warmer  each  day,  and 
below  decks  it  was  close  and  hot. 

Dan  saw  the  shore  fade  from  view  with  a  regret- 
ful sigh.  Had  Ralph  been  along,  the  advance  on 
the  enemy  would  have  been  hailed  with  delight. 
But  his  brother's  absence  made  his  heart  sink  like 
a  lump  of  lead  within  his  bosom. 


IOO  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

Just  before  leaving  Dan  had  received  two  letters 
from  home,  one  intended  for  himself  and  one  for 
Ralph,  and  both  containing  about  the  same  infor- 
mation. Mr.  Radbury  wrote  that  all  was  going  on 
well  at  the  ranch  and  that  he  was  feeling  slightly 
better  than  he  had  when  writing  before.  He 
wrote  that  Oliver  Fielding  had  arrived  home,  and 
that  a  doctor  from  Gonzales  had  operated  on  his 
eyes  with  marked  success.  Mr.  Radbury  added 
that  he  trusted  both  of  his  sons  continued  in 
good  health  and  that  they  would  keep  out  of 
all  harm,  and  also  put  in  a  good  word  concerning 
Poke. 

"  Father  won't  feel  so  happy  when  he  gets  my 
letter  telling  of  Ralph's  disappearance,"  said  Dan 
to  Poke,  for  he  had  already  sent  a  communication 
through  the  army  postmaster.  "  It  will  break 
him  all  up  to  think  Ralph  is  a  prisoner,  or  worse. 
At  first  I  thought  of  keeping  the  truth  from  him, 
but  I  couldn't  bring  myself  to  do  it." 

"  No,  it's  better  he  should  know  the  worst," 
answered  the  old  frontiersman.  "He'd  be  bound 
to  find  it  out  sooner  or  later  anyhow." 

Because  of  the  close  quarters,  Dan  was  thrown 
in  constantly  with  the  men  in  the  command  to 
which  Ralph  belonged.  He  already  knew  some 
of  them,  including  Corporal  Tim  McManus,  who 


GENERAL    WINFIELD  SCOTT  10 1 

was  loud  in  bewailing  the  fate  that  had  overtaken 
the  younger  Radbury. 

"Sure,  an' it's  a  cryin'  shame,  so  it  is!"  said 
Corporal  Tim.  "  Such  a  foine  b'y  as  he  was  !  I 
hope  wid  all  me  heart  he  gits  away  from  the 
greasers,  an'  that  right  quickly." 

"  If  he  had  been  minding  his  business,  he 
wouldn't  have  been  caught,"  put  in  Dwight  Pel- 
lingham,  who  stood  near.  "  He  had  no  right  to 
go  off  on  a  pleasure  trip  when  he  was  sent  down 
here  to  fight." 

"  Sure  an'  he  wasn't  On  a  pleasure  thrip,  Pel- 
lingham,  ye  know  he  wasn't.  He  had  private 
business  —  " 

"  Oh,  pshaw,  don't  tell  me  that.  He  was  out 
for  a  good  time.  More  than  likely  he  made  some 
planter  give  up  a  couple  of  bottles  of  wine,  and 
then  he  got  scooped  in  after  drinking.  I  know 
him  well  enough."  And  Dwight  Pellingham 
tossed  his  head  contemptuously. 

Dan  heard  this  talk,  and  it  made  his  face  burn. 
He  stepped  up  close  to  the  foppish  young  soldier. 

"  See  here,  I  don't  know  who  you  are,  but  I'll 
thank  you  not  to  talk  like  that  about  my  brother," 
he  said,  coldly.  "  Ralph  doesn't  drink,  and,  if  he 
did,  he  wouldn't  rob  a  planter  of  his  wine." 

Dwight  Pellingham  glared  at  the  older  Radbury 


102  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

in  amazement,  but,  when  he  met  Dan's  steady 
gaze,  he  fell  back  a  little.  "I  —  er  —  I'll  say 
what  I  please,"  he  faltered. 

"  No,  you  won't  say  what  you  please,"  came 
quickly. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  Dan  Radbury,  the  brother  of  the  soldier 
you  are  blackmailing." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I've  heard  of  you.  Both  of  you  Rad- 
burys  have  a  pretty  good  opinion  of  yourselves." 

"  We  have  too  good  an  opinion  to  let  you  or 
anybody  else  abuse  us." 

"Indeed!"  sneered  Pellingham.  "Where  did 
you  get  that  good  opinion  —  cow  -  punching  on 
your  Texas  ranch  ?  "  And  he  uttered  the  words 
as  if  cattle-raising  was  the  lowest  occupation  in  the 
world. 

Dan's  face  flushed  hotly,  for  he  was  getting 
more  angry  each  instant.  "  See  here,"  he  said, 
trying  to  command  himself,  "  I  want  no  quarrel 
with  you.  As  for  cow-punching,  as  you  call  it, 
it's  none  of  your  business  what  I  do.  But  I  won't 
have  you  running  down  my  brother.  He's  a  good 
fellow,  and  —  " 

"  Sure,  an'  he's  the  best  fellow  in  the  company," 
broke  in  Tim  McManus.  "  Pitch  into  him,  Dan, 
me  b'y.     He  deserves  it." 


GENERAL    WINFIELD   SCOTT  103 

By  this  time  the  sharp  talking  had  attracted 
quite  a  crowd.  The  scene  was  below  decks,  near 
the  bow  of  the  boat,  and  no  officers  happened  to 
be  near. 

"What's  the  row?"  questioned  several. 

"  Pellingham  has  been  afther  running  down 
Ralph  Radbury,"  replied  Corporal  Tim.  "This 
is  Dan  Radbury,  an'  he  said  he  won't  stand  what 
Pellingham  says." 

"  You  keep  your  mouth  shut,  Irish  !  "  retorted 
Dwight  Pellingham.  "  I  know  what  I'm  doing, 
and  don't  want  any  advice  from  you." 

"  Sure,  an'  you'll  git  no  advice,  but  you'll  git  me 
fist ! "  cried  Tim  McManus.  "  Ralph's  a  good  b'y, 
an'  I'm  fer  sthickin'  up  fer  him  every  toime." 

"I  want  no  quarrel  with  anybody,"  said  Dan, 
"but  I  won't  allow  this  fellow  to  talk  against 
Ralph." 

"  You  —  you  haven't  any  business  at  this  end  of 
the  boat,"  came  from  Pellingham,  who  knew  not 
how  to  go  on.  "You  clear  out  and  leave  us 
alone." 

"  Don't  you  go,  Radbury,"  came  from  several. 

"  If  you  stay  here  I'll  report  you." 

Dan  looked  at  Pellingham  steadily. 

"Go  ahead  and  report.  I  have  as  much  right 
as  anybody  to  walk  around,  even  though  my  com- 


104  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

pany  is  quartered  farther  aft.  You  remember 
what  I  said  about  Ralph." 

"  I'll  say  what  I  please.  If  he  was  captured,  it 
was  his  own  fault.  He  was  always  getting  into 
trouble." 

"  Oh,  give  us  a  rest,  Pelly,"  came  from  a  soldier 
standing  in  the  rear  of  the  crowd.  "  You'll  never 
be  captured,  for  you'll  always  be  found  in  the  rear 
rank !  "     And  a  laugh  went  up  at  this  sally. 

The  laugh  made  the  foppish  soldier  furious,  and 
he  shook  his  fist  at  the  hidden  speaker.  "  You're 
all  down  on  me,  but  I'll  show  you  —  see  if  I 
don't !  " 

"  What  are  you  going  to  show  us  ? "  asked 
another.  "The  latest  pair  of  silk  socks  your  pa 
sent  to  you  ? "  and  another  laugh  went  up. 

"  He's  a  dear  boy,  Dwighty  is,  and  should  be 
put  in  a  bandbox  for  safe-keeping,"  came  from 
another  soldier,  and  the  laughing  continued. 

Now  furious,  Dwight  Pellingham  raised  his  fist 
again,  and  shoved  Dan  away  from  him,  and  up 
against  several  other  soldiers.  Dan  resented  this 
by  catching  Pellingham  by  the  shoulder,  and  hold- 
ing him.  At  the  same  time  somebody  shoved  the 
foppish  young  soldier's  cap  down  over  his  eyes, 
and,  putting  out  his  foot,  Tim  McManus  sent  him 
down  on  bis  back  on  the  deck. 


GENERAL    WIN  FIELD   SCOTT  105 

Instantly  there  was  an  uproar,  for  in  those  days 
soldiers  loved  to  indulge  in  "horse"  play,  and 
play  of  this  sort  was  much  rougher  than  it  is 
to-day,  excepting  at  certain  isolated  western  army 
posts.  There  was  a  "pile  on,"  regardless  of  who 
was  underneath,  and,  in  a  twinkle,  Dwight  Pelling- 
ham  found  himself  at  the  bottom  of  a  mass  of  ten 
or  a  dozen  soldiers,  all  squirming  and  kicking  good- 
naturedly.  Dan  was  also  caught  in  the  mass,  but 
soon  managed  to  extricate  himself  and  back  away. 

When  the  mix-up  was  straightened  out,  it  was 
found  that  Dwight  Pellingham  had  had  his  uni- 
form torn  in  several  places,  and  that  both  he  and 
the  suit  were  covered  with  the  dirt  of  the  deck, 
which  at  this  spot  happened  to  be  much  in  evi- 
dence. More  than  this,  his  nose  had  come  into 
violent  contact  with  the  planking,  and  was  bleed- 
ing in  consequence. 

"  I'll  —  I'll  have  you  all  arrested  for  this  !  "  he 
roared,  glaring  at  those  standing  near.  "  Look  at 
my  uniform  and  my  nose !  Dan  Radbury,  you  are 
responsible  for  this." 

"That's  what  he  is,"  put  in  a  soldier  who  had 
just  come  up,  Jack  Bracer.  Bracer  was  a  man 
from  Texas,  whose  reputation  was  none  of  the 
best,  but  for  some  reason  Pellingham  had  made 
of   him  a  crony. 


I06  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  I'm  not  responsible,"  answered  Dan,  stoutly. 
"  You  brought  it  on  yourself." 

"  I  say  you  are  responsible ! "  howled  the  fop- 
pish soldier.  "  Nobody  would  have  piled  on  me 
if  it  hadn't  been  for  you.  You  and  that  stuck-up 
brother  of  yours  think  you  can  both  ride  over  me. 
But  I'll  show  you  that  you  can't.  Here  comes 
Major  Dunlap.  I'm  going  to  report  you,  and  see 
that  you  are  placed  where  you  belong." 

And,  before  anybody  could  stop  him,  Dwight 
Pellingham  ran  from  the  crowd  and  toward  the 
officer,  who  at  that  moment  was  coming  up. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

AN  ENEMY  ON  SHIPBOARD 

"  Here,  what's  the  row  ? "  questioned  Major 
Dunlap,  as  he  strode  up,  attracted  by  the  unusual 
crowd  and  the  earnest  talking.  He  was  a  tall, 
fierce-looking  military  man,  and  a  strict  disciplin- 
arian. 

"  If  you  please,  major,  I  wish  to  report  this 
fellow,"  replied  Dwight  Pellingham,  and  he  pointed 
at  Dan. 

"  What  for  ? " 

"  For  starting  a  row  and  pitching  into  me." 

"  It  is  not  true,"  returned  Dan,  hotly. 

"And  I  say  it  is  true.  He  pitched  into  me 
without  the  slightest  reason." 

"  Oh  !  Oh  ! "  came  in  a  groan  from  several  of 
the  other  soldiers. 

"  I  never  pitched  into  him  at  all,"  said  Dan. 
"  He  started  the  trouble,  and  he  took  hold  of  me 
before  I  ever  touched  him." 

"  It's  not  so,  sir.     He  —  " 
107 


108  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  Silence  !  "  commanded  Major  Dunlap.  "  One 
at  a  time.  Now,  Pellingham,  state  your  side  of 
the  story.  Then  I'll  listen  to  Radbury  and  the 
others." 

In  as  skilful  a  manner  as  possible  Dwight 
Pellingham  told  his  version  of  the  affair.  It  was 
grossly  exaggerated  and,  of  course,  entirely  in  his 
favor. 

"  And  Jack  Bracer  there  will  prove  what  I  say," 
concluded  the  foppish  soldier. 

"  That's  the  truth,  Major  Dunlap,"  put  in  Bracer, 
promptly. 

"And  what  have  you  to  say  to  this  ?  "  demanded 
the  major,  turning  to  Dan. 

"  He  doesn't  tell  the  truth,  and  Jack  Bracer  was 
not  here  when  the  trouble  started,  sir.     We  —  " 

"  I  was  here,"  roared  Bracer.  "  I  stood  behind 
Radbury.     Probably  he  didn't  see  me." 

"  I  will  listen  to  Radbury's  story  now,"  inter- 
rupted Major  Dunlap,  coldly. 

Then  Dan  told  his  tale  from  beginning  to  end, 
as  it  has  been  related  here.  He  was  interrupted 
several  times  by  Pellingham  and  his  crony,  but  the 
major  quickly  quieted  the  pair. 

"  You  are  sure  you  didn't  trip  Pellingham  up  ? " 
questioned  the  major. 

"  I  am  positive,  sir." 


AN  EKFMY  O.V  SHIPBOARD  IO9 

"I  know  he  didn't,"  put  in  a  soldier  standing 
near.  "  I  saw  the  foot  go  out  and  wind  around 
Pellingham's  ankle.     It  was  not  Radbury's  foot." 

"  And  whose  foot  was  it,  Heffner  ?  " 

"  I  can't  answer  that  question,  sir,"  replied  Heff- 
ner. He  more  than  half  suspected  Tim  McManus, 
but  he  did  not  feel  inclined  to  say  so. 

"  This  whole  affair  seems  to  be  a  tempest  in  a 
teapot,"  said  the  major,  finally.  "  You,  Pellingham, 
had  no  right  to  speak  of  Radbury's  brother  in  such 
a  disrespectful  manner.  He  went  out  on  an 
authorized  mission,  and  not  to  steal  anybody's 
wine.  And  Dan  Radbury  had  a  right  to  walk 
to  this  part  of  the  ship,  although  no  right  to 
make  it  his  stopping  quarters.  I  will  let  the 
whole  case  pass  as  it  is.  But  I  warn  you  all 
to  be  more  careful  in  the  future.  If  I  hear  of 
any  'piling  on,'  as  you  call  it,  I'll  put  you  all 
in  the  ship's  brig  for  twenty-four  hours.  You'll 
find  it  pretty  hot  and  uncomfortable  in  there, 
too." 

Thus  speaking,  the  major  walked  away,  and  with 
him  went  several  of  the  soldiers.  Then  came 
a  call  to  drill,  and  Dan  and  Pellingham  separated 
without  further  words.  But  when  the  foppish 
soldier  walked  off  he  gave  Dan  a  look  as  black  as 
a  thunder-cloud. 


IIO  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  Sure,  an'  he's  got  it  in  fer  ye,"  whispered 
McManus,  to  Dan.  "  He'll  lay  awake  nights 
thinkin'  av  how  to  git  square,  so  he  will  !  " 

"  In  that  case  I'll  have  to  be  on  my  guard," 
returned  Dan. 

On  the  way  to  the  drill  Dan  met  Poke,  who  had 
been  in  the  room  where  some  guns  were  stored, 
aiding  in  cleaning  up  the  weapons. 

"  Had  a  row,  so  I  heard,"  said  the  old  frontiers- 
man. "  If  I  was  you  I'd  give  thet  sissy  soldier  a 
wide  berth." 

"  I  want  nothing  more  to  do  with  him,  but  I  am 
not  afraid  of  him,  —  and  he  sha'n't  spout  out 
against  Ralph." 

"  Oh,  I  wouldn't  allow  thet,  nuther." 

The  drill  was  one  which  occurred  daily  and 
lasted  the  best  part  of  half  an  hour.  When  it  was 
over  the  soldiers  were  set  to  work  to  clean  up  their 
quarters,  and  this  occupied  another  half-hour,  and 
then  it  was  mess  time. 

The  distance  from  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande 
River  to  Vera  Cruz  is  about  five  hundred  miles, 
consequently  the  soldier  boys  had  to  spend  quite  a 
few  days  on  the  transports,  which  moved  slowly  and 
cautiously,  not  knowing  what  each  day  might  bring 
forth.  Mexico  at  this  time  had  but  few  war-ships, 
yet  it  was  felt  that  even  a  single  ship,  well  armed, 


AN  ENEMY  ON  SHIPBOARD  1 1 1 

might  do  much  damage  among  the  heavily  loaded 
transports. 

It  was  the  7th  of  March  when  the  transport 
carrying  Dan  and  Poke  came  in  sight  of  Vera  Cruz, 
a  low-lying  city,  surrounded  by  a  stone  wall  two 
miles  long.  The  houses  were  of  stone,  most  of 
them  two  stories  in  height,  with  low  walls  around 
the  roofs.  The  city  stood  on  a  sandy  plain,  backed 
up  by  sandy  hills,  cut  up  in  many  places  by 
arroyos,  or  gullies,  and  covered  thickly  with  chap- 
arral. 

In  front  of  the  city,  on  a  reef-like  island,  stood 
an  old  stone  fort,  or  castle,  called  San  Juan  d'Ulloa. 
This  was  truly  an  historic  spot,  having  been  built 
by  the  Spaniards  in  1582  at  a  cost  of  forty  millions 
of  dollars  !  It  was  a  heavily  armed  place,  and  was 
the  last  to  be  surrendered  by  Spain  when  Mexico 
declared  herself  free  and  independent. 

The  war-ships  and  transports  came  to  anchor 
about  two  miles  below  the  city,  and  then  came  up 
the  question  of  how  the  army  should  be  landed,  for 
to  bring  the  ships  to  the  beach  with  its  booming 
surf  was  out  of  the  question. 

"  We're  to  land  in  surf-boats,"  said  Dan,  on  the 
morning  of  the  second  day  after  anchoring.  "  I 
just  got  word  from  the  captain." 

"  Sure  an'  that's  no  easy  job,"  replied  Corporal 


112  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

Tim,  dubiously.  "  Should  we  be  afther  strikin'  a 
wave  sideways  we'd  all  go  to  the  bottom." 

"  Well,  I  reckon  they  won't  charge  ye  nuthin' 
fer  the  duckin',"  replied  Poke,  dryly. 

"  Charge  me,  is  it  ?  "  cried  McManus.  "  Sure 
an'  it's  not  meself  as  wants  a  swim,  at  all,  at  all," 
and  he  shook  his  head.  "  I'm  not  a  fish,  but  a 
man  wid  two  legs,  mint  fer  walkin'." 

An  hour  later  a  dozen  surf-boats  came  along- 
side and  the  task  of  landing  the  soldiers  from  that 
transport  began.  All  told,  sixty-five  surf-boats 
were  in  use,  making  a  busy  time.  Several  hun- 
dred soldiers  were  landed  at  a  time,  and  in  one 
hour  Genera]  Worth's  division  of  four  thousand 
five  hundred  men  was  on  the  beach,  having  suf- 
fered nothing  more  than  a  wetting  of  feet  as  they 
leaped  from  the  boats  to  the  rising  sand  beyond. 
On  board  two  of  the  ships  the  bands  were  play- 
ing, and  this,  with  the  bright  sunshine  and  the 
sparkling  water,  made  the  scene  an  animated 
one. 

Corporal  Tim  did  not  like  the  water,  having 
been  brought  up  inland,  where  the  largest  stream 
was  little  better  than  a  brook. 

"  Sure  an'  I  know  I'll  be  drowned !  "  he  said,  as 
he  entered  one  of  the  small  craft.  "  It's  a  wobbly 
thing  now,  isn't  it  —  a  regular  whale  wid  a  drunk 


AN  ENEMY  ON  SHIPBOARD  1 1 3 

on.  Sure  an'  I'd  rather  be  afther  walking  tin 
mile  be  land,  so  I  would  !  " 

Dan  was  in  the  craft  with  him  and  cautioned 
him  to  be  quiet  and  keep  his  seat.  All  went  well 
until  they  were  about  fifty  yards  from  the  beach, 
when  a  rather  heavy  wave  caught  the  surf-boat 
in  the  rear  and  sent  the  flying  spray  over  all  the 
occupants. 

"  I  knew  it !  I  knew  it !  "  shrieked  McManus, 
leaping  to  his  feet.  "  I  knew  we'd  be  afther  goin' 
to  the  bottom  of  the  say  !  " 

He  flung  his  arms  out  wildly,  making  a  clutch 
at  Dan.  But  before  the  latter  could  catch  hold  of 
him,  he  lost  his  balance  and  fell  overboard  with  a 
loud  splash. 

Instantly  there  was  a  commotion,  mingled  with 
a  shout  of  laughter,  as  Corporal  Tim  bobbed  up 
into  view,  spluttering  and  waving  his  hands  fran- 
tically. 

"Save  me!  Save  me!"  shrieked  the  unfortu- 
nate. "  Fer  the  love  av  hiven,  don't  let  me  drown 
like  a  rat  in  a  trap  !     Save  me,  Dan  !  " 

"I  will,  only  keep  still,"  answered  Dan.  "Give 
me  your  hand." 

"  Save  me  !  "  And  poor  bewildered  Corporal 
Tim  thrashed  around  so  madly  that  to  get  him 
into  the  boat   was   utterly  impossible.     But   Dan 


114  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

caught  his  hand  and  held  on  to  him,  and  thus  he 
was  dragged  closer  to  the  shore. 

"  Ain't  ye  goin'  to  save  me  ?  "  he  spluttered. 
"  Save  me,  do,  that's  a  good  b'y  !  " 

"  If  you'll  stop  kicking  perhaps  I  can  get  you 
into  the  boat,"  answered  Dan. 

"  I'm  afther  bein'  drowned  !  " 

"Not  if  you'll  keep  your  mouth  shut,  Tim." 

"  Sure  an'  I  can't  hold  up  much  longer.  Pull 
me  into  the  boat,  Dan,  me  b'y  !  " 

By  this  time  the  craft  was  so  close  to  shore  that 
all  danger  was  past.  But  Tim  did  not  know  this 
and  continued  to  struggle  as  hard  as  ever. 

"  I'm  a  goner,  Dan  !  "  he  shrieked.  "  Sure,  an' 
I  didn't  think  ye  would  leave  me  to  drown,"  he 
added,  reproachfully. 

"  Corporal,  put  down  your  feet  and  walk  ashore," 
said  the  officer  in  command  of  the  boat. 

"  Put  down  me  fate,  Lieutenant  Bliss  ?  " 

"That's  what  I  said.  Now,  men,  ready  all? 
Jump  for  it !  " 

The  men  jumped,  and  as  they  did  so  Corporal 
Tim  put  down  his  feet.  The  water  was  hardly  up 
to  his  waist,  and  he  looked  sheepish.  He  made  a 
wild  dash  and  was  soon  up  on  the  beach  with  the 
others. 

"I  —  I  was  afther  thinkin'  the  water  was  about 


AN  ENEMY  ON  SHIPBOARD  1 1  5 

a  mile  deep,"  he  said.  "  Sure  an'  it  was  a  narrow 
escape  anyway,"  he  added.  "  A  mon  as  can't 
swim  can  drown  in  a  bath-tub  !  " 

"  I  think  you  had  better  learn  to  swim,"  said 
Dan,  with  a  smile  he  could  not  suppress.  "  If  we 
stay  here  I'll  show  you." 

"  Not  fer  a  hundred  dollars,  Dan  —  not  fer  a 
thousand.     As  I  said  before,  I'm  no  fish." 

"  But  it  might  come  useful  to  you,  Tim,  some 
day." 

"  No,  I  have  no  use  fer  the  water.  All  me 
ocean  trips  will  be  taken  on  land,"  and  with  this 
speech,  McManus  strode  off  to  attend  to  his 
military  duties. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

LANDING    AT    VERA    CRUZ 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  Mexicans 
allowed  the  landing  of  the  United  States  troops 
to  pass  without  doing  something  to  stop  it.  The 
fort  in  front  of  the  city  sent  a  number  of  shots 
in  the  direction  of  the  surf-boats,  and  some  can- 
non in  the  city  also  opened  fire. 

"  It's  a  welcome  we're  getting,"  remarked  Poke 
to  Dan,  as  they  marched  up  the  beach  to  the  spot 
chosen  for  the  command.  "  Sorry  we  can't  return 
the  compliment." 

"  I  don't  believe  they  can  reach  us  at  such  a  dis- 
tance," said  Dan. 

"  Don't  be  too  sure,  Dan.  They  ought  to  have 
some  putty  big  cannon  in  thet  old  fort.  Why,  it's 
been  there  for  ages,  so  I  was  told." 

Poke  had  scarcely  spoken  when  there  came  a 
strange  humming  in  the  air  and  a  cannon-ball  came 
rolling  up  the  beach,  scattering  the  loose  sand  in 
all  directions. 

116 


LANDING  AT  VERA    CRUZ  11? 

As  it  happened,  Dwight  Pellingham  was  almost 
in  the  track  of  the  ball  and  had  his  back  to  it.  As 
it  spun  along  and  sent  the  sand  up  against  his  neck 
and  ears,  he  gave  a  wild  leap  for  safety. 

"I'm  hit!  I'm  killed!"  he  shrieked.  "I'm  a 
dead  man,"  and  then,  as  he  put  his  hand  to  his  ear 
and  withdrew  it  covered  with  the  blood  from  a 
scratch,  he  gave  another  shriek  and  fell  head- 
long. 

An  officer  ran  to  him  and  raised  him  up,  while 
a  crowd  gathered. 

"  Where  are  you  hit  ?  "  was  the  question  put  to 
the  frightened  soldier. 

"  Here,  in  the  head.  A  bullet  went  into  my 
ear." 

"  It  was  sand  from  the  cannon-ball,"  said  a 
soldier,  who  had  also  got  a  dose.  "  It  wasn't  a 
bullet  at  all." 

At  this  Dwight  Pellingham  stared  around,  as  if 
unwilling  to  believe  the  truth.  Then  he  felt  of 
his  ears  and  neck  and  gave  a  gasp. 

"  Sure  there  isn't  a  bullet  in  my  head  ? " 

"  Quite  sure,"  said  the  officer,  after  a  close 
examination.  "  I  reckon  you  are  more  frightened 
than  hurt." 

"It — it  was  a  —  a  close  shave,"  faltered  Pel- 
lingham, and  then  he  arose  and  stalked  off  —  to 


1 18  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

wash  himself  at  the  edge  of  the  beach  and  put 
some  court-plaster  on  the  worst  of  his  scratches. 

He  had  seen  Dan  laughing  with  the  rest  and 
this  made  him  more  angry  than  ever  at  the  young 
soldier. 

"  I'll  fix  you  yet,  see  if  I  don't,"  he  muttered. 

Many  of  the  soldiers  had  an  idea  that  General 
Scott  would  direct  an  immediate  attack  on  Vera 
Cruz,  but  such  was  not  the  plan  of  this  skilful 
commander.  He  knew  that  both  the  city  and  the 
castle  before  it  were  heavily  fortified  and  that  an 
assault  would  be  attended  with  a  great  loss  of 
life.  He  resolved  to  surround  the  place,  plant  his 
heavy  cannon  with  care,  and  then  bombard  Vera 
Cruz  into  submission. 

The  troops  had  landed  on  the  6th  of  March, 
and  inside  of  three  days  General  Scott  had  his 
different  commands  carefully  placed  to  the  north, 
the  west,  and  the  south  of  the  city.  Each  com- 
pany was  well  hidden  behind  the  sand-hills  and 
the  heavy  undergrowth,  or  in  trenches  especially 
constructed  for  that  purpose. 

No  sooner  did  the  United  States  soldiers  appear 
around  the  city  than  the  guns  from  the  fort  and 
Vera  Cruz  itself  spoke  up  loudly,  and  their  furious 
firing  was  kept  up  for  several  days.  This  being 
the  case,  to  go  close  to  the  stone  wall  was  exceed- 


LANDING   AT   VERA    CRUZ  119 

ingly  dangerous,  and  it  was  no  light  work  to  place 
the  batteries  where  they  would  be  likely  to  do 
effective  work  when  called  into  use.  To  add  to 
the  troubles  of  General  Scott's  command,  several 
northers  came  down  in  all  their  fury,  so  that  for 
two  days  it  was  all  but  impossible  to  land  anything 
heavy  on  the  beach.  In  the  worst  of  the  blow 
more  than  one  boat  rocked  so  hard  that  part  of  its 
load  slipped  overboard  and  went  to  the  bottom  of 
the  gulf. 

In  the  work  of  investing  the  city  Dan  and  Poke 
had  to  do  their  full  share,  and  more  than  one  day 
was  spent  with  a  pick  and  shovel,  digging  a  trench 
or  raising  a  breastworks.  It  was  laborious  toil,  but 
neither  complained.  But  they  often  heard  Dwight 
Pellingham  finding  fault. 

"  I  didn't  join  the  army  as  a  laborer,"  growled 
the  foppish  soldier.  "  I  came  to  fight  and  to  teach 
the  Mexicans  a  lesson." 

"  Well,  you  are  teaching  them  a  lesson  —  in 
industry,"  said  an  under  officer,  and  this  raised 
a  laugh  at  Pellingham's  expense. 

One  afternoon  Pellingham,  Bracer,  Dan,  and 
a  dozen  others  were  sent  to  clean  out  a  gully  of 
brushwood,  so  that  the  soldiers  might  move  from 
one  end  of  it  to  the  other  with  ease.  Pellingham 
was  in  a  bad  humor  and  did  not  wish  to   work. 


120  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

Dan  went  about  his  task  cheerfully,  paying  no 
attention  to  the  fop. 

Half  an  hour  later,  while  Dan  was  bending  over 
at  the  bottom  of  the  gully,  a  shovelful  of  dirt  came 
down  on  his  head,  some  going  down  the  collar  of 
his  shirt,  he  having  removed  his  coat. 

He  knocked  off  the  most  of  the  dirt,  and  looking 
up,  was  just  in  time  to  see  somebody  disappear 
from  the  edge  of  the  arroyo.  Without  stopping  to 
think  twice,  he  climbed  up  the  side  of  the  hollow 
and  made  after  the  fellow,  who  was  now  behind 
some  bushes. 

His  tormentor  was  Pellingham,  and  soon  they 
stood  face  to  face.  Dan  had  a  clod  of  dirt  in  his 
hand,  and  let  the  fop  have  this,  hitting  him  in  the 
nose. 

"  Hi !  hi !  stop  !  "  roared  Pellingham. 

"Well  then,  you  stop,"  retorted  Dan.  "What 
right  had  you  to  shovel  dirt  on  me  ?  " 

«  I  —  I  didn't." 

"  You  did.     I  saw  you." 

"I  —  I  didn't  know  you  were  down  there." 

"  Indeed !  In  that  case,  why  did  you  shovel 
dirt  into  the  gully  when  we  were  sent  here  to 
clean  the  place  out  ?  " 

"That  was  my  business." 

"  Well,  if  you  drop  any  more  dirt  on  me,  Dvvight 


LANDING   AT  VERA    CRUZ  121 

Pellingham,  we'll  have  a  settlement  you  least 
expect." 

"  Huh  !     Do  you  want  to  fight  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  want  to  fight  you.  But  I'll  give 
you  a  sound  thrashing." 

Dwight  tried  to  bluster,  but  he  could  not 
frighten  Dan,  and  soon  went  off  grumbling  to  him- 
self. His  place  was  further  down  the  hollow,  and 
here  he  rejoined  his  crony,  Jack  Bracer,  whom  he 
left  but  a  short  while  before. 

"  How  did  you  make  out  ? "  asked  Bracer, 
who  knew  Pellingham  had  gone  off  to  torment 
Dan. 

"  I  let  him  have  it  all  right  enough,  but  he 
spotted  me  and  let  me  have  a  lump  of  dirt  in 
return." 

"  Struck  you,  eh  ?  " 

"Yes,  but  it  wasn't  much.  I  tell  you,  Jack,  I 
hate  that  fellow." 

"  I  don't  like  him  myself." 

"I  wish  I  could  get  square  with  him." 

"Well,  that's  what  you  were  going  to  do  just 
now." 

"  I  mean  I  wish  I  could  teach  him  a  lesson  he 
wouldn't  forget  for  a  long  while." 

"  I  see.  Can't  you  hatch  up  some  plot  against 
him  ? " 


122  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  I'm  going  to  try  it.  He's  been  laughing  at 
me  ever  since  we  had  the  row  on  the  ship." 

"  I  know  it.  He  thinks  a  city  fellow  is  of  no 
account.  Even  if  we  did  great  things  in  a  battle 
these  backwoods  fellows  wouldn't  give  us  any 
credit." 

"  That's  what  I  think.  I  wish  I  could  get  Rad- 
bury  into  trouble  with  our  officers.  That  would 
put  his  nose  out  of  joint." 

"  So  it  would.  But,  if  you  did  anything,  you'd 
have  to  be  careful." 

"  Oh,  I'd  be  careful  enough.  But  wouldn't  you 
want  to  help  me  ? "  went  on  Pellingham,  who  gen- 
erally relied  on  Bracer  to  aid  him  in  his  various 
plans. 

"To  be  sure  I'd  help  you.  But  we  mustn't  get 
ourselves  in  a  hole.  If  we  did,  he'd  have  a  worse 
laugh  on  us  than  ever." 

"We  must  think  of  something.      I  can  —  " 

"Hush,  here  comes  Stover.  He's  Radbury's 
best  friend.  If  he  learns  anything,  he'll  go  right 
to  Radbury  with  it." 

As  Poke  came  closer,  they  stopped  their  talk, 
and  began  to  work  in  silence.  Poke  had  been 
working  farther  up  the  hollow,  but  his  portion  of 
the  task  was  now  finished,  while  those  of  Bracer 
and  of  Pellingham  were  scarcely  begun. 


LANDING  AT  VERA    CRUZ  1 23 

"  Hullo,  ye  ain't  done  much,"  observed  Poke, 
as  he  looked  down  on  them  for  a  moment. 

"It's  none  of  your  affair  even  so,"  retorted  Pel- 
lingham.     "  Mind  your  own  business." 

"Thanks,  I  will.  Didn't  know  but  what  ye'd 
like  me  to  give  ye  a  lift."  And  with  this  dry 
remark  Poke  strode  on. 

Although  they  did  not  know  it,  Poke  had  caught 
a  few  words  of  their  conversation,  and  he  took  good 
care  to  remember  them. 

"Jest  met  thet  Pellingham  an'  thet  Bracer  up 
the  gully,"  he  said,  as  he  dropped  down  beside 
Dan.     "They're  a  likely  team,  they  are." 

"  I've  had  more  trouble  with  Pellingham,"  an- 
swered Dan,  and  told  of  what  had  occurred. 

"  Then  thet  accounts  fer  it,"  said  the  old  fron- 
tiersman, when  he  had  finished. 

"  Accounts  for  what,  Poke  ?  " 

"  When  I  came  along,  they  war  talkin'  about 
ye,  lad.  I  didn't  catch  all  they  said,  but  it 
seems  to  me  they  war  plottin'  to  do  ye  an  in- 
jury." 

"  What  can  they  do  ? " 

"  I  don't  know.  But  you  want  to  keep  your 
eyes  open.  To  my  mind,  that  Jack  Bracer  is  a 
reg'lar  snake  in  the  grass." 

"  I  agree  with  you  there." 


124  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

'*  Between  the  two  they  may  hatch  up  something 
pretty  dirty." 

"I  don't  think  Pellingham  is  wicked  at  heart." 

"  Nuther  do  I,  Dan.  But  he  is  mad  at  you,  and 
he  is  under  Bracer's  influence.  Bracer  may  get 
him  to  do  worse  than  he'd  think  of  doing  if  left 
to  himself." 

"  Well,  I'll  keep  my  eyes  wide  open,"  concluded 
Dan,  and  there  the  subject  was  dropped,  and  he 
went  to  work  harder  than  ever,  to  make  up  for 
the  time  he  had  lost  in  chasing  Pellingham. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

Ralph's  hiding-place 

It  is  now  high  time  to  go  back  to  Ralph,  and 
see  how  he  fared  in  his  efforts  to  get  out  of  the 
underground  passage,  and  away  from  the  Mexican 
soldiers  who  were  pursuing  him. 

The  fall  of  dirt  behind  him  had  blocked  the 
passage  completely,  so  that  none  of  the  enemy 
could  reach  him  from  that  direction. 

But  how  long  would  it  take  them  to  go  back, 
and  did  they  know  where  the  passageway  ran  to  ? 
These  were  the  burning  questions  he  asked  him- 
self. Perhaps  they  would  be  waiting  at  the  other 
end  to  capture  him  the  moment  he  appeared. 

But,  even  as  these  thoughts  coursed  through 
his  brain,  he  kept  on,  stumbling  over  stones  and 
tree  roots,  until  he  reached  a  series  of  rude  steps. 
Up  these  he  felt  his  way,  suddenly  coming  into 
the  open  air  at  a  point  where  there  was  a  dense 
grove  of  trees,  with  a  branch  of  the  river  not  a 
hundred  feet  away. 

125 


126  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

No  Mexicans  were  in  sight,  and  for  this  he 
breathed  a  short  sigh  of  relief.  But  he  knew 
they  would  soon  be  upon  him,  for  he  could  already 
hear  the  sounds  of  an  alarm  from  the  castle  court- 
yard. 

He  darted  in  among  the  trees,  and  made  his 
way  to  the  river  bank.  Several  boats  were  at 
hand,  but  they  were  clumsy  affairs,  and  had 
neither  oars  nor  paddles. 

"They'd  soon  get  me  if  I  took  a  boat,"  he 
thought.  Then,  on  second  thought,  he  shoved 
one  of  the  boats  from  the  bank,  and  sent  it 
adrift.  "  Now  if  they  think  I  went  off  in  that,  it 
will  put  them  on  the  wrong  trail,"  he  told  himself. 

Knowing  nothing  better  to  do,  he  ran  along  the 
river  bank  until  he  reached  a  sort  of  summer-house, 
built  of  stone,  with  an  elaborate  roofing  of  planks 
and  heavy  timbers,  and  thickly  overgrown  with 
vines. 

His  pursuers  were  now  coming  closer,  and, 
hardly  knowing  what  to  do  next,  he  darted  into 
the  summer-house.  A  look  overhead  showed  him 
something  of  a  hiding-place  between  the  heavy 
timbers  and  the  sloping  boards  above,  and  he 
hastily  climbed  to  this  retreat,  thick  with  dirt  and 
cobwebs. 

Ralph  had  been  hidden  less  than  three  minutes 


RALPH'S  HIDING-PLACE  12 J 

when  he  heard  several  persons  approaching,  and 
soon  four  Mexicans  came  in.  It  was  a  detail  of 
three  privates  with  an  under  officer,  and  all  talked 
volubly  as  they  gazed  around,  although  Ralph 
could  make  out  little  of  what  they  said,  excepting 
that  they  were  looking  for  him,  and  wondered  if  he 
was  still  in  the  grounds  or  had  taken  to  the  river. 

Scarcely  daring  to  breath,  the  young  soldier  re- 
mained prostrate  on  the  timbers.  His  position  was 
far  from  comfortable,  yet  he  dared  not  change  it, 
for  fear  of  attracting  the  attention  of  those  below 
him.  Every  instant  he  was  afraid  they  would 
look  up  and  discover  him. 

At  length  the  under  officer  gave  some  orders  to 
one  of  the  soldiers,  and  then  marched  off  with  two 
of  the  men,  leaving  the  third  behind. 

That  this  third  man  had  been  placed  on  guard 
there  could  be  no  doubt,  for  he  stationed  himself 
on  a  bench  in  the  centre  of  the  summer-house,  with 
his  musket  over  his  knees,  and  kept  a  strict  look- 
out on  all  sides  of  him. 

Thus  quarter  of  an  hour  passed,  and  in  the 
meantime  Ralph  heard  other  guards  travel  up  and 
down  the  river  and  in  various  other  directions.  Lan- 
terns could  be  seen  bobbing  up  here  and  there, 
showing  that  the  Mexicans  were  doing  their  ut- 
most to  locate  him. 


128  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  If  they  find  me,  more  than  likely  they'll  shoot 
me  on  the  spot,"  he  reasoned,  grimly. 

The  stars  shone  brightly,  so  that  it  was  not  as 
dark  as  it  might  otherwise  have  been.  To  pass 
the  time,  the  guard  below  lit  one  cigarette  after 
another,  the  smoke  drifting  upward  to  where  the 
anxious  young  soldier  rested. 

Inside  of  half  an  hour  Ralph  felt  cramped  in 
every  limb,  and  at  the  risk  of  making  himself 
heard,  turned  over  into  a  new  position.  He  did 
this  as  the  guard  arose  to  walk  around  the  summer- 
house,  and  the  fellow  failed  to  hear  the  slight 
noise  he  made. 

"  This  is  getting  monotonous,  to  say  the  least," 
thought  the  young  soldier.  "  I  wonder  if  that 
fellow  intends  to  stay  there  all  night  ?  " 

Another  hour  passed,  and  still  the  guard  stayed 
on.  By  this  time  the  voices  along  the  river  were 
no  longer  to  be  heard,  and  only  one  or  two  lanterns 
pierced  the  semi-darkness. 

Presently  the  guard  forgot  to  light  another 
cigarette,  and  gazing  down  on  him,  Ralph  saw  the 
fellow  droop  in  a  heap  on  the  bench,  as  if  he  was 
going  to  sleep. 

"  Oh,  if  only  he  would  go  to  sleep  !  "  murmured 
the  young  soldier. 

Several  times  the  Mexican  roused  himself,  only 


RALPH'S  HIDING-PLACE  120, 

to  sink  into  a  deeper  nap  than  ever.  At  last 
Ralph  heard  him  draw  a  deep  sigh  and  begin  to 
snore. 

"  Now  is  my  chance,  now  or  never !  "  he  told 
himself,  and  with  extreme  caution  began  to  de- 
scend from  his  hiding-place. 

The  only  opening  near  the  roof  of  the  summer- 
house  was  at  the  centre,  so  that  the  young  soldier 
had  to  climb  down  almost  on  top  of  the  snoring 
Mexican. 

As  he  descended  he  loosened  some  of  the  dirt 
on  the  timbers,  and  this  fell  down,  hitting  the 
Mexican  on  the  ears  and  neck. 

He  started  up,  thinking  some  insects  had  at- 
tacked him,  and  made  a  move  as  if  to  brush  them 
off.  Then  he  glanced  up  and  uttered  a  cry  as  he 
caught  sight  of  Ralph's  legs  dangling  above  him. 

The  moment  Ralph  heard  the  cry  he  gave  him- 
self up  for  lost.  Then,  with  a  hope  born  of  de- 
spair, he  let  himself  go  and  landed  as  heavily  as 
possible  on  the  guard's  shoulders.  Down  went 
the  Mexican  on  the  floor  with  the  American  lad 
astride  of  his  shoulders,  and  then  the  pair  rolled 
over  and  over. 

The  Mexican  it  must  be  confessed  was  bewil- 
dered, for  he  had  not  dreamed  that  the  escaped 
prisoner  was  so  close  at  hand.     Consequently  he 


130  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

had  hardly  time  to  recover  before  Ralph  had  him 
by  the  throat,  thus  preventing  any  outcry. 

The  Mexican  was  far  from  a  weakling.  He  was 
big  and  strong,  and  when  there  was  no  war  was  a 
ranch-hand,  used  to  rounding  up  cattle.  He 
struggled  lustily,  and  for  the  moment  it  looked  as 
if  he  would  get  the  better  of  his  opponent. 

But  a  well  directed  blow  from  Ralph  finished 
the  contest  in  surprisingly  short  order.  The  blow 
landed  squarely  on  the  Mexican's  temple  and 
partly  stunned  him.  Ere  he  could  recover,  Ralph 
had  the  gun  and  dealt  him  a  second  blow,  and 
then  he  lay  like  a  log  where  he  had  fallen. 

For  several  minutes  after  the  contest  was  over 
the  young  soldier  stood  in  the  summer-house,  pant- 
ing to  get  back  his  breath.  He  kept  the  gun  in 
his  hands,  and  it  is  more  than  likely  he  would  have 
discharged  it  at  anybody  who  had  appeared  to 
capture  him. 

But  the  noise  of  the  struggle  had  attracted  no 
attention,  and  after  relieving  the  guard  of  his 
ammunition,  and  putting  the  same  in  his  pockets, 
Ralph  stole  forth  from  the  summer-house  and 
skulked  along  the  bushes,  in  a  direction  away  from 
the  old  castle.  He  knew  not  where  he  was  going, 
and  just  then  did  not  care,  his  one  object  being  to 
put  distance  between  himself  and  his  enemies. 


RALPH'S  HIDING-PLACE  I31 

The  night  was  now  well  advanced,  and  Ralph 
knew  that  in  a  few  hours  more  the  first  streaks  of 
dawn  would  be  at  hand.  If  he  was  to  get  away 
at  all  it  must  be  while  daylight  lasted. 

Presently  he  came  upon  a  broad  roadway.  Some 
distance  beyond  was  a  tall  stone  wall  with  a  gate- 
way. He  must  either  climb  over  the  wall  or  go 
through  the  opening.  As  there  were  several 
guards  at  the  gateway,  he  decided  to  climb  the 
wall. 

This  was  no  easy  matter,  for  the  wall  was  of 
smooth  stone  and  all  of  ten  feet  high.  He  looked 
in  vain  for  a  bench  or  ladder ;  nothing  of  the  sort 
was  around. 

But  he  found  something  else,  which  gave  him 
another  idea.  The  something  else  was  a  collec- 
tion of  rude  stoneware  pots,  such  as  are  still  to  be 
seen  in  Mexico.  The  pots  were  both  large  and 
small  and  smooth  at  both  top  and  bottom.  He 
decided  to  build  himself  a  pyramid  of  the  pots  and 
get  over  the  wall  by  this  means. 

To  think  was  to  act,  and  quickly  he  arranged 
the  pots,  with  the  largest  at  the  bottom  and  the 
smallest  at  the  top.  They  reached  to  within  four 
feet  of  the  top  of  the  wall,  and  he  calculated  that 
by  climbing  the  pile  he  could  get  over  the  wall 
with  ease. 


132  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

But  Ralph  was  no  acrobat,  and  to  climb  to  the 
top  of  the  pyramid  was  no  easy  task.  With  his 
gun  over  his  shoulder,  he  went  up  cautiously, 
balancing  himself  against  the  wall  in  the  mean- 
time. 

He  had  almost  gained  the  last  pot  when  the  pile 
began  to  tremble.  Thinking  it  was  going  over,  he 
made  a  clutch  at  the  top  of  the  wall  and  drew  him- 
self up.  Then  the  pile  did  go  over,  with  a  crash 
to  be  heard  a  long  distance  away. 

"  If  they  didn't  hear  that  they  must  be  deaf," 
he  muttered,  and  then  prepared  to  drop  to  the 
outer  side  of  the  wall,  when  he  made  the  discovery 
that  the  wall  was  built  on  the  very  edge  of  a  cliff, 
and  that  the  distance  to  the  bottom  was  all  of 
thirty  or  forty  feet ! 

"  I  might  have  known  it !  "  he  groaned.  "  What 
a  fool  I  was  to  come  up  here  !  Now  they  are 
bound  to  get  me." 

But  though  he  spoke  thus,  he  had  no  idea  of 
giving  up  yet.  From  a  distance  came  a  call  to 
arms,  and  he  heard  guards  from  the  gateway  hurry- 
ing in  his  direction.  The  top  of  the  wall  was 
about  two  feet  broad,  and  he  felt  his  way  along 
this,  walking  away  from  the  gateway. 

But  this  soon  brought  him  in  sight  of  the  river 
bank,  and  again  he  paused.     The  cliff  outside  was 


RALPH'S  HIDING-PLACE  1 33 

now  not  so  high,  and  risking  a  broken  limb,  Ralph 
allowed  himself  to  drop  into  the  space  below. 

Fortunately  he  landed  into  nothing  worse  than 
a  number  of  plain  bushes,  although  some  cacti 
were  not  far  off.  He  rolled  over  into  a  hollow 
and  from  this  picked  himself  up.  At  a  distance 
he  made  out  a  grove  of  trees,  and  started  for  these. 
He  did  not  stop  running  until  he  was  in  the  very 
centre  of  the  grove.  Here  he  found  a  slight  de- 
pression, and  sank  into  this,  drawing  the  bushes 
around  him,  and  anxiously  awaited  the  next  move- 
ment of  the  Mexicans  who  were  after  him. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

AN    INTERESTING    CONVERSATION 

For  fully  quarter  of  an  hour  Ralph  remained 
where  he  was,  not  making  a  sound.  He  imagined 
that  the  Mexicans  would  come  down  upon  him  at 
any  moment,  and  wondered  whether  it  would  be 
better  to  submit  if  they  did  so,  or  put  up  a  fight. 

But  as  the  enemy  failed  to  put  in  an  appearance 
he  gradually  grew  more  calm.  Cautiously  he 
shifted  his  position,  until  he  gained  a  hiding-place 
among  a  mass  of  rocks. 

His  adventures  had  tired  him  greatly,  and  soon 
he  found  himself  hardly  able  to  keep  his  eyes  open. 

"This  won't  do,"  he  told  himself.  "I  might 
go  to  sleep  if  I  was  farther  off,  but  not  here." 

Just  before  the  sun  rose  over  the  hills  to  the 
east,  he  started  off  again,  striking  out  as  nearly  as 
he  could  for  the  Rio  Grande. 

Half  a  mile  was  covered  and  he  came  across  an 
old  trail  winding  in  and  out  among  a  series  of 
low  hills. 

i34 


''THE    VAQUERO 


LEAPED    ON    THE    ANIMAL'S    BACK,    AND 
RODE    OFF" 


AN  INTERESTING    CONVERSATION        I  35 

Here  he  found  a  brook,  where  he  procured  a 
drink  and  took  a  refreshing  wash.  The  washing 
brightened  him  greatly,  and  he  went  on,  feeling 
refreshed. 

Presently  Ralph  came  in  sight  of  a  long,  low 
dwelling,  thickly  overgrown  with  vines.  The 
place  looked  deserted,  but  as  he  was  approaching 
it,  a  vaquero  came  forth,  lariat  in  hand,  and  smok- 
ing. Instantly  the  young  soldier  dodged  out  of 
sight. 

The  vaquero  locked  the  door  and  put  the  key  in 
his  pocket.  Then  he  stalked  to  a  neighboring 
shed,  brought  forth  a  bronco,  leaped  on  the  ani- 
mal's back,  and  rode  off. 

"  He  must  have  been  alone,  or  he  wouldn't  have 
locked  up,"  thought  Ralph.  "Wonder  if  he  left 
anything  behind  fit  to  eat." 

The  young  soldier  was  tremendously  hungry 
and  he  was  willing  to  take  more  or  less  risk  in  an 
endeavor  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  his  stomach. 
Moving  to  the  building,  he  looked  in  at  first  one 
window  and  then  another.  Apparently  nobody 
was  near.  The  windows  had  bars  of  tough  wood 
over  them,  but  one  of  the  bars  was  loose  and  he 
pulled  it  out  of  place  with  ease.  Then  he  leaped 
through  the  opening. 

The  dwelling  consisted  of  four  rooms,  all  on  the 


I36  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

ground  floor,  with  something  of  a  general  loft 
overhead,  reached  by  a  ladder  from  one  of  the 
sleeping-apartments.  There  was  hardly  any  fur- 
niture, but  in  the  living-room  was  a  closet,  and 
here,  on  a  shelf  suspended  by  four  wires  covered 
with  gum  to  keep  off  the  ants,  were  several  pots 
containing  bread,  dried  beef,  coffee,  sugar,  and 
two  or  three  other  things  good  to  eat. 

"  Hurrah  !  Just  what  I  want !  "  cried  Ralph  to 
himself,  and  his  cautiousness  vanished  at  the  sight 
of  the  eatables.  "  I  must  have  a  square  meal 
before  I  go  another  step." 

A  little  Mexican  stove  was  handy,  still  contain- 
ing some  hot  embers,  and  soon  he  had  some  water 
boiling  and  was  making  coffee.  One  pot  contained 
two  eggs,  and  these  he  boiled.  In  less  than  fifteen 
minutes  he  had  an  appetizing  meal  ready,  and  then 
he  sat  down  to  enjoy  it  to  its  fullest. 

"  You  seem  to  enjoy  our  food,  sefior." 

Had  a  bomb  exploded  over  his  head  Ralph 
would  not  have  been  more  astonished  than  he  was 
when  he  heard  those  words,  spoken  so  close  at 
hand.  He  leaped  to  his  feet  and  wheeled  around, 
to  discover  a  middle-aged  woman  standing  in  the 
doorway  of  one  of  the  other  rooms,  gazing  fixedly 
at  him.  The  woman  was  apparently  a  Mexican, 
although  she  spoke  excellent  English.     She  held 


AN  INTERESTING    CONVERSATION        1 37 

a  long  horse-pistol  in  her  right  hand,  and  the 
weapon  was  pointed  at  his  head. 

"  Sit  still,  sefior,"  she  went  on.  "  Should  you 
rise,  I  might  grow  excited  and  pull  the  trigger  of 
this  weapon,  and  much  damage  might  be  done." 

"Who  —  er  —  where  did  you  come  from?" 
stammered  Ralph. 

"  From  my  couch,  in  this  room,  senor.  And 
now  let  me  ask  you  a  question.  Where  did  the 
soldier  boy  come  from  ?  " 

"  I  came  from  outside." 

"Did  Manuel  give  you  permission  to  come  in 
here  ? " 

"Was  he  the  vaquero  who  just  went  away?" 

"  Yes." 

"  I  can't  say  that  he  did.  I  was  tramping  along 
and  was  desperately  hungry.  I  thought  I  might 
find  something  to  eat  here,  and  sq  I  came  through 
yonder  window.  I  did  not  intend  to  touch  any- 
thing but  this  food." 

At  these  words  the  face  of  the  woman  softened 
a  little.  She  had  noted  before  she  spoke  how 
eagerly  Ralph  was  devouring  the  food  he  had 
prepared. 

"  Were  you  entirely  alone,  senor  ? " 

"  Why  do  you  ask  that  ? "  returned  Ralph,  cau- 
tiously. 


I38  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  Answer  me  !  "  And  again  the  pistol  came  up 
on  a  level  with  his  head  and  her  momentary  soft- 
ness of  manner  vanished. 

"  Yes,  I  am  alone." 

"  And  what  does  such  a  young  soldier  do  here 
all  alone?" 

"I  —  I  got  into  trouble  with  some  Mexican 
soldiers,  and  they  started  to  make  me  a  prisoner." 

"  The  young  senor  is  perhaps  a  spy,  not  so  ? " 

"No,  I  am  not  a  spy." 

"Then  how  did  you  get  into  trouble  ? " 

"I  got  into  trouble  through  trying  to  help  a 
Mexican  girl,"  answered  Ralph,  struck  by  a  sudden 
idea.  Perhaps  if  he  told  about  what  had  happened 
to  Inez  Morales,  this  woman  might  become  some- 
thing of  a  friend. 

"Who  was  the  girl,  and  what  did  you  try  to 
do?"  were  the  next  questions  put. 

"  The  girl  was  Inez  Morales.  She  has  an  uncle, 
Jose  Toletto,  who  is  very  cruel  to  her.  He  drove 
her  into  the  river  and  she  might  have  been  drowned, 
had  it  not  been  for  my  brother,  a  friend  of  mine, 
and  myself.  We  rescued  her,  and  then  started  to 
find  this  Jose  Toletto  and  a  bad  fellow  called  Juan 
the  Giant  —  " 

The  woman  gave  a  sudden  cry  and  the  pistol 
dropped  to  her  side. 


AN  INTERESTING    CONVERSATION        I  39 

"  Did  you  say  Juan  the  Giant  ?  "  she  faltered. 

"I  did." 

"  And  is  he  in  this  vicinity  ?  " 

"  He  cannot  be  many  miles  away.  He  and  Jose 
Toletto  went  off  together.  Then  you  know  the 
Giant  ? " 

"I  do  —  to  my  sorrow,  senor." 

"  He  is  a  bad  man." 

"  He  ruined  my  brother  Carlos.  It  was  some 
years  ago,  in  a  deal  of  horses.  Juan  Badillo 
cheated  him,  and  poor  Carlos  was  so  worried  over 
his  loss  that  he  died  soon  after." 

"  I  can  easily  believe  you,  for  Badillo  is  a  regu- 
lar horse  thief.     But  do  you  know  Toletto  ?  " 

"  Not  very  well,  although  we  have  met  several 
times.  And  I  have  met  Inez  Morales.  She  is  a 
sweet  senorita. " 

There  was  a  moment  of  silence,  and  then  Ralph 
went  on  : 

"  May  I  finish  the  meal  —  even  though  I  can- 
not pay  for  it  ? " 

At  this  the  woman  let  out  a  merry  laugh. 
'  "  The  young  Yankee  soldier  is  brave,"  she  said. 
"  How  does  he  know  I  am  not  very,  very  angry 
with  him  ? " 

"  Because  I  know  you  are  not  cruel  —  I  can  see 
it  in  your  beautiful  face." 


140  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

The  compliment  told,  for  there  are  few  women, 
especially  among  Mexican  ladies,  who  do  not  like 
to  be  told  that  they  are  handsome.  Down  went 
the  pistol  behind  her. 

"  Yes,  you  may  eat  all  you  wish,  senor.  I 
would  not  send  even  an  enemy  away  hungry." 

She  sat  down  on  a  near-by  bench  and  watched 
him  curiously  while  he  finished  the  meal,  which  he 
did  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

What  was  he  to  do  next  ?  This  was  the  ques- 
tion uppermost  in  Ralph's  mind.  Would  the 
woman  try  to  detain  him  until  her  husband  or 
some  others  appeared  ?  When  would  the  vaguero 
return  ? 

"There,  that  was  a  first-rate  meal,"  he  said, 
when  he  had  finished.  "  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  pay 
for  it,  but  I  have  no  money  with  me,  senora.  I 
can  but  give  you  my  very  best  thanks,"  and  he 
bowed  deeply,  as  is  the  custom  of  that  country. 

"  I  want  no  pay,  senor.  But  —  but  —  you  are 
going  ? " 

"  Unless  you  want  me  to  stay.  If  I  remain 
away  longer  from  the  American  camp  along  the 
river,  I  may  get  into  trouble  with  my  superior 
officer." 

It  was  a  bold  move  and  it  had  its  proper  effect. 

"Then  I  will  not  detain  you,  senor  —  you  are 


AN  INTERESTING    CONVERSATION        141 

too  young  a  soldier  to  get  into  trouble.  Some- 
times they  shoot  soldiers  for  disobeying  orders,  do 
they  not  ? " 

«  Yes." 

"  I  should  not  wish  any  one  shot  on  my  account. 
Go,  if  you  must  —  and  my  best  wishes  go  with 
you." 

She  smiled  on  him,  and,  struck  by  a  sudden 
impulse,  Ralph  stepped  up  to  her,  took  her  hand 
and  kissed  it,  in  true  Mexican  fashion,  at  which 
she  beamed  on  him  in  a  motherly  kind  of  way. 
Then  he  leaped  to  the  window  and  started  to  climb 
out.  A  glance  to  the  trail  beyond  and  he  uttered 
an  exclamation  of  dismay. 

"  What  is  it,  senor  ? "  she  asked. 

"  The  soldiers  who  are  after  me  !  " 

"  Indeed  !     That  is  too  bad  !  " 

Ralph  was  in  a  quandary.  Four  soldiers  had 
already  appeared,  and  there  was  no  telling  how 
many  more  were  behind.  He  glanced  out  into 
the  roadway  and  then  at  the  woman. 

She  read  what  was  in  his  mind  and  caught  him 
by  the  shoulder. 

"Answer  me  quickly  and  truly,"  she  said,  gaz- 
ing into  his  clear  eyes.     "  Are  you  a  spy  ?  " 

"  I  am  not." 

"  You  have  told  me  the  strict  truth  about  saving 


142  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

Inez  Morales  and  about  hunting  for  Jose  Toletto 
and  Juan  Badillo  ?  " 

"  I  have." 

"  Then  come  with  me  and  I  will  hide  you  until 
they  have  gone  on." 

At  these  words  Ralph's  heart  gave  a  leap  of 
joy.  He  felt  that  in  some  strange,  unexpected 
manner  he  had  made  a  true  friend.  He  turned 
from  the  window. 

"Where  shall  I  go?  I  place  myself  in  your 
hands,  senora." 

She  led  the  way  to  one  of  the  sleeping- 
apartments. 

"There  is  a  ladder  to  the  loft.  In  the  centre 
of  the  loft  is  a  trap-door.  Raise  that  and  you  will 
find  a  small  closet  between  the  floor  beams.  Hide 
there,  and  be  sure  and  let  the  clothing  fall  over 
the  trap  when  you  shut  it.     Hurry,  sefior." 

No  more  was  said,  and  on  the  instant  Ralph 
leaped  up  the  ladder.  The  loft  was  dark,  but  he 
soon  found  the  trap  mentioned,  partly  covered 
with  a  heap  of  old  clothing.  He  raised  the  door, 
crawled  into  the  closet,  and  let  the  trap  fall  noise- 
lessly into  place. 

Hardly  had  this  been  accomplished  when  the 
soldiers  came  up  and  rapped  loudly  on  the  door 
below. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

CLOSE    QUARTERS 

From  his  close  quarters  Ralph  could  only  hear 
a  murmur  of  voices,  and,  as  the  conversation  was 
conducted  in  Spanish,  he  did  not  make  out  a  word 
of  what  was  said. 

The  closet  between  the  floor  beams  was  a  small 
one,  and  with  the  trap  shut  down  the  air  was  cut 
off,  so  that  he  breathed  with  difficulty. 

"  One  thing  is  certain,  I  can't  stay  here  long," 
was  his  thought. 

He  did  not  dare  to  move  around,  for  fear  of 
making  a  noise,  and  so  lay  as  he  had  first  placed 
himself  until  he  was  so  cramped  in  one  lower  limb 
he  knew  not  what  to  do. 

The  murmur  of  voices  continued,  and  he  heard 
several  of  the  soldiers  enter  the  dwelling  and 
tramp  from  room  to  room.  Then  he  heard  an- 
other talk,  after  which  one  of  the  newcomers 
ascended  the  ladder  leading  to  the  loft. 

As  the  soldier  tramped  directly  over  where  he 
143 


144  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

was  in  hiding,  he  held  his  breath  in  suspense. 
The  soldier  kicked  the  old  clothing  about  and 
called  for  a  light. 

"  It's  all  up  with  me  now,"  thought  Ralph. 
"  He  can't  fail  to  see  the  trap-door  if  he  gets  a 
light." 

The  call  for  a  light  was  not  answered,  the 
other  soldiers  being  outside  and  at  the  shed. 
The  man  in  the  loft  continued  to  tramp 
around  for  a  moment,  and  then  went  below  and 
outside. 

Drawing  a  long  breath  of  relief,  Ralph  took  the 
opportunity  to  turn  around  in  his  narrow  quarters, 
thus  giving  the  doubled-up  lower  limb  a  chance  to 
stretch  out. 

This  brought  the  young  soldier's  hand  in  con- 
tact with  one  part  of  the  trap-door,  and  his  fingers 
brushed  against  an  iron  ring  which  had  previously 
escaped  his  notice. 

Scarcely  had  he  made  this  discovery  when  he 
heard  the  Mexican  soldiers  reenter  the  house. 
They  were  talking  as  earnestly  as  before,  and  he 
could  now  hear  the  lady's  voice  also. 

"  They  are  coming  up  here  again,"  he  thought, 
and  he  was  right.  Two  soldiers  ascended  to  the 
loft,  one  carrying  a  smoky  lantern  which  he  had 
compelled  the  lady  of  the  house  to  furnish. 


CLOSE    QUARTERS  1 45 

The  men  walked  over  the  trap  several  times 
and  examined  a  box  and  a  couple  of  barrels  stand- 
ing in  one  corner. 

Then  the  heap  of  old  clothing  was  kicked  aside 
and  one  of  the  soldiers  let  out  a  cry. 

"A  trap-door  !  "  he  said,  in  Spanish. 

"  You  are  sure  ? "  asked  his  companion. 

"  Yes." 

"Then  raise  it  up.  The  rascal  may  be  hiding 
beneath." 

At  once  one  of  the  Mexicans  reached  down  to 
pull  the  trap  up. 

Ralph  heard  the  talk  and  heard  the  man  at  the 
trap.  In  sheer  desperation  he  put  several  fingers 
of  his  right  hand  through  the  ring  and  pulled 
down  upon  it  with  all  of  his  strength. 

It  was  a  fearful  strain,  and  as  the  Mexican  began 
to  pull  from  above  poor  Ralph  felt  as  if  his  fingers 
must  be  broken  off. 

But  he  realized  what  exposure  might  mean,  — 
death  or  a  long  term  in  a  Mexican  prison,  —  and  he 
held  on  with  a  grim  determination  and  every 
muscle  braced  to  its  utmost. 

The  strain  lasted  but  a  few  seconds. 

"  The  trap  is  nailed  down  —  I  cannot  move  it," 
said  the  soldier. 

"  Then  don't  waste  any  more  time  here,"  re- 


146  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

turned  his  companion.  "  I  doubt  if  anybody  could 
hide  under  this  floor." 

In  a  moment  more  the  Mexicans  moved  away 
and  Ralph  heard  them  go  below  once  more. 

"Gracious,  but  that  was  a  close  shave!"  he 
gasped. 

He  was  almost  ready  to  faint  from  the  confine- 
ment, and  at  the  risk  of  being  caught,  felt  com- 
pelled to  push  the  trap  up  to  get  a  little  air. 

Soon  he  heard  the  Mexican  soldiers  going  away, 
and  a  little  later  the  woman  appeared  at  the  top  of 
the  loft  ladder. 

"You  can  come  out  now,"  she  called. 

"  They  are  all  gone  ?  " 

"Yes,  sefior." 

Ralph  crawled  up  out  of  the  close  quarters  and 
staggered  to  a  tiny  window  at  one  end  of  the  loft. 

"I  —  I  was  almost  smothered  to  death  !  "  he 
gasped. 

"  I  do  not  doubt  it.  I  am  sorry  you  had  to  go 
into  the  hole.  But  it  was  the  best  I  could  do 
for  you." 

"  You  were  very  kind  —  very  kind,"  he  returned, 
warmly.  "  I  won't  forget  it,  senora.  Which 
way  did  the  soldiers  go  ?  " 

The  two  went  below  and  she  pointed  out  the 
direction.     It  was  that  from  whence  they  had  come. 


CLOSE    QUARTERS  1 47 

Feeling  it  would  do  no  good  to  remain  at  the 
dwelling  longer,  Ralph  bid  the  lady  adieu  once 
again,  and  then  hurried  off  along  the  trail  he  had 
previously  had  in  mind  to  follow. 

He  had  not  learned  the  lady's  name,  and  it  may 
be  as  well  to  state  here  that  he  never  saw  or  heard 
of  this  unexpected  friend  again.  Why  she  had 
befriended  him  was  a  mystery,  although  it  was 
probably  on  account  of  his  youthful  and  thoroughly 
honest  appearance. 

After  such  an  experience  Ralph  was  glad  enough 
to  stretch  his  legs  in  walking,  and  he  lost  no  time 
in  putting  all  the  distance  possible  between  himself 
and  his  enemies. 

But  the  young  soldier  had  been  carried  off 
farther  than  he  had  supposed,  and  when  nightfall 
came  he  was  still  many  miles  from  where  the 
soldiers'  camp  had  been  located. 

He  was  now  so  weary  he  could  scarcely  drag  one 
limb  after  the  other,  and  shortly  after  sunset,  com- 
ing to  a  deserted  hut  sheltered  among  the  rocks, 
determined  to  remain  there  overnight  and  rest. 

The  lady  who  had  befriended  him  had  given  him 
some  food  in  a  bit  of  cloth,  and  of  this  he  ate 
a  portion.  Then  he  stretched  himself  on  the  floor 
of  the  hut  and  in  a  few  minutes  was  sound  asleep. 

Nothing  came  to  disturb  Ralph's  rest,  and  con- 


I48  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

sequently  he  did  not  awaken  until  some  time  after 
sunrise.  Then  he  leaped  up,  feeling  as  fresh  as 
ever. 

"  Hullo  !  I  didn't  think  I'd  sleep  so  long,"  he 
cried  to  himself.  "  I  couldn't  have  slept  sounder 
if  I  had  been  in  bed  at  home.  Now  I  mustn't 
lose  another  minute  in  getting  back  to  camp.  I 
wonder  what  Dan  and  Poke  will  think  of  my 
absence." 

He  was  soon  on  the  way,  having  eaten  the  last 
of  the  food  given  to  him.  He  had  a  long  hill 
to  climb,  and  at  the  top  he  felt  certain  that  he 
would  be  able  to  make  out  the  white  tents  of 
the  camp  at  a  distance.  He  did  not  know  that 
the  camp  had  already  moved  on. 

Ralph  was  almost  to  the  top  of  the  hill  when  he 
found  that  the  trail  made  a  sharp  turn  to  the  left. 
He  was  just  moving  around  a  number  of  rocks 
when  he  heard  voices  and  the  clatter  of  half  a 
dozen  horses'  hoofs.  He  leaped  into  the  brush  to 
hide,  but  it  was  too  late. 

"  Ha !  A  Yankee  !  "  came  from  the  throat  of 
a  Mexican  soldier,  and  on  the  instant  Ralph  was 
surrounded  and  several  pistols  and  guns  were 
pointed  at  him. 

"  'Tis  he  who  escaped  from  the  castle  !  "  came 
from    an    officer,  who    was    in    charge    of    the 


CLOSE   QUARTERS  1 49 

detachment.  "  Do  you  surrender  ? "  he  demanded, 
in  very  bad  English. 

"  I  do,"  answered  Ralph,  and  as  he  spoke  all  of 
his  high  hopes  of  a  few  minutes  before  were 
dashed  to  the  ground.  In  a  flash  he  realized  that 
the  escape  from  the  castle  prison,  the  flight 
under-ground,  the  hiding  in  the  summer-house  and 
at  the  Mexican  lady's  dwelling,  all  had  availed 
him  nothing. 

"You  were  a  sly  fox  to  get  away  so  nicely," 
went  on  the  Mexican  officer.  "  By  the  sun !  how 
did  you  accomplish  it  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  I've  gotten  away,"  said  Ralph, 
ruefully.     "If  I  had  I  wouldn't  be  here." 

This  reply  made  the  officer  smile  faintly.  He 
turned  to  his  men,  and  Ralph  was  searched,  and 
then  the  young  soldier's  hands  were  bound  behind 
him. 

Although  Ralph  did  not  know  it,  the  Mexican 
detachment  had  been  in  the  vicinity  of  Matamoras 
trying  to  obtain  more  of  the  ammunition  secreted 
there  by  the  Mexican  government.  But  the  United 
States  troops  on  guard  in  the  city  had  proved  too 
watchful  for  them,  and  the  Mexicans  had  been 
compelled  to  return  empty-handed.  Now  they 
were  bound  for  their  mountain  retreat  with  all 
speed,  fearing  that  the  hated  Yankees  might  over- 


150  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

take  them  and  either  shoot  them  down  or  make 
them  prisoners. 

The  party  was  on  horse  and  mule  back,  and 
Ralph  was  mounted  on  the  back  of  one  of  the 
latter  beasts  of  burden. 

There  is  no  necessity  for  going  into  the  details 
of  the  return  to  the  castle.  The  party  advanced 
by  a  route  which  was  strange  to  Ralph,  and  the 
castle  was  reached  late  that  night.  Without 
ceremony  the  prisoner  was  thrown  into  a  small 
stone  room,  and  there  he  was  left  to  himself. 

In  this  room,  which  was  hardly  eight  feet  square, 
and  which  had  but  one  small  window  and  that  so 
high  up  that  he  could  not  reach  it,  Ralph  spent  a 
week.  One  day  was  exactly  like  another,  and  the 
week  to  the  young  soldier  appeared  to  be  a  month 
long.  Twice  a  day  he  was  given  food  and  fresh 
water,  but  that  was  all.  Nobody  came  to  talk 
to  him,  nor  was  he  allowed  any  exercise  in  the 
open  air. 

"This  is  certainly  enough  to  drive  one  crazy," 
was  his  thought,  as  he  paced  up  and  down  the 
narrow  cell.  "  I  hope  it  doesn't  continue  many 
days  longer." 

On  the  morning  of  the  eighth  day  he  felt  that 
something  unusual  was  taking  place.  There  was  a 
parade  of  soldiers  in  the  castle  of  the  courtyard, 


CLOSE    QUARTERS  151 

and  then  a  guard  came  and  flung  open  the  door  of 
his  prison. 

"We  are  going  to  move,"  he  said  in  Spanish. 
«  Come." 

Ralph  did  not  understand  the  words,  but  he 
understood  enough  to  know  that  he  was  to  leave 
the  prison,  and  this  he  did  willingly.  Half  an  hour 
later  he  was  marching  between  several  guards  over 
the  mountain  trails  and  through  the  passes  leading 
to  Cerro  Gordo,  a  high  mountain  pass  some  miles 
west  of  Vera  Cruz. 

This  journey  was  one  Ralph  never  forgot.  Day 
after  day  the  guards  and  the  soldiers  ahead  tramped 
on,  over  one  high  hill  after  another,  through 
dense  growths  of  chaparral  and  cacti,  and  forests 
of  stately  trees.  At  some  places  the  sharp  rocks 
were  everywhere  in  evidence,  and  more  than  once 
they  ran  across  the  home  of  a  nest  of  rattlesnakes 
that  made  it  lively  for  all  hands.  Drinking-water 
was  to  be  had,  but  it  was  of  a  poor  quality,  and  once 
it  made  Ralph  deathly  sick.  The  sun  was  now  grow- 
ing warmer,  and  during  the  middle  of  the  day  beat 
down  mercilessly  upon  them.  But  the  nights  in 
the  mountains  were  cool,  and  one  belated  norther 
came  close  to  giving  the  young  soldier  a  chill. 

Where  he  was  being  taken  Ralph  could  not  tell. 
He  heard  something  of  General  Scott's  proposed 


152  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

landing  at  Vera  Cruz  and  of  what  the  Mexican 
authorities  intended  to  do  should  the  American 
commander  start  to  bombard  the  seaport  city,  and 
he  also  heard  something  of  the  Mexican  plan  to 
fortify  the  pass  of  Cerro  Gordo  and  other  routes 
leading  to  Mexico  City.  But  most  of  the  talk  was 
in  Spanish,  so  he  was  never  exactly  certain  of  the 
information. 

At  last  the  Mexican  detachment  joined  a  body 
of  soldiers  who  were  in  camp  on  the  side  of  a  high 
mountain.  Here  Ralph  was  thrown  in  with  a 
number  of  other  prisoners,  all  strangers  to  him. 
The  prisoners'  camp  was  set  off  by  itself  and  a 
strong  guard  watched  it  constantly.  And  here 
Ralph  passed  many  days. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

dan's  unusual  experience 

As  mentioned  before,  General  Scott,  on  landing 
his  forces  just  below  Vera  Cruz,  lost  no  time  in 
investing  the  city,  his  line  of  troops  extending  in 
a  grand  semicircle  from  the  north  shore  of  the 
town  to  the  south  shore. 

The  work  was  not  without  peril,  for  the  cannon 
of  the  city  and  the  fort  on  the  island  endeavored 
constantly  to  reach  our  soldiers,  who  were  hidden 
behind  sand-banks  and  growths  of  chaparral. 

In  two  weeks  after  landing  the  investment  of 
Vera  Cruz  was  complete,  and  then  General  Scott 
sent  in  a  summons  to  surrender. 

"  We  will  never  surrender  to  the  Yankees ! " 
was  the  prompt  reply. 

"  Perhaps  not,"  General  Scott  is  reported  to 
have  said.  "  But  I  imagine  a  few  days  of  a  hot 
bombardment  will  make  you  change  your  minds." 
The  bombardment  began  immediately,  not  only 
by  the  forces  on  land,  but  also  by  the  war- 
*53 


154  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

vessels  still  riding  in  the  harbor,  and  the  fierce 
rain  of  shot  and  shell  was  kept  up  for  some 
days. 

Previous  to  the  bombardment  the  command  to 
which  Dan  and  Poke  were  attached  was  sent  out 
to  take  possession  of  a  long  low-lying  sand-hill 
about  northwest  from  the  city.  Next  to  this 
command  was  stationed  that  to  which  Ralph, 
Dwight  Pellingham,  and  Jack  Bracer  belonged. 

The  weather  had  been  fairly  pleasant,  but  one 
evening  it  became  dark  and  threatening,  as  if  a 
heavy  storm  was  close  at  hand. 

"  We're  in  for  a  soakin'  to-night,"  observed  Poke. 
"  I'm  mighty  glad  to  say  I  ain't  got  to  do  guard- 
duty.      I  was  out  last  night." 

"  You're  certainly  in  luck,  Poke,"  answered  Dan. 
"  I've  got  to  go  out." 

"  Is  thet  so  ?  Thought  you  was  out  night  afore 
last." 

"  So  I  was,  but  the  guard  has  been  shifted  and 
I've  got  to  go  to-night  again,  from  twelve  o'clock 
on." 

In  order  to  be  wide  awake  when  it  came  time 
to  do  guard-duty,  Dan  retired  early  that  evening. 
Consequently  he  was  bright  and  fresh  when  he 
went  out  with  the  detail,  at  ten  minutes  before 
midnight. 


DAN'S   UNUSUAL   EXPERIENCE  1 55 

He  was  left  on  what  was  called  Post  3,  extend- 
ing from  the  edge  of  a  sand-bank  into  a  dense 
mass  of  brushwood  backed  up  by  a  few  rocks.  It 
was  far  from  an  agreeable  spot,  but  Dan  did  not 
complain,  knowing  that  his  task  was  simply  part 
of  the  soldier  duty  he  had  enlisted  to  perform. 

It  had  begun  to  rain,  so  as  he  tramped  from  one 
end  of  his  post  to  the  other,  he  wrapped  his  storm- 
cape  closely  around  his  shoulders. 

"  I  don't  believe  any  Mexicans  are  stirring  this 
night,"  he  thought.  "They  think  too  much  of 
their  comforts  and  their  cigarette  smoking." 

Half  an  hour  had  gone  by,  and  Dan  had  got 
thoroughly  well  acquainted  with  his  post  and  with 
the  two  soldiers  at  either  end  of  it,  on  the  posts 
beyond,  when  a  noise  reached  his  ears  which 
sounded  unusual. 

Instantly  he  clutched  his  gun  and  gazed  ahead 
into  the  rain  and  darkness. 

"  Was  that  a  man,  an  animal,  or  a  bird  ? "  he 
asked  himself. 

For  several  minutes  he  stood  still,  but  the  sound 
was  not  repeated,  and  then  he  resumed  his  tramp- 
ing up  and  down  the  post. 

Then  came  the  noise  again,  this  time  closer  than 
before.  He  was  now  in  the  brushwood,  and  he 
was  half  of  a  mind  it  was  some  wild  animal.     But 


156  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

though  he  strained  his  eyes  to  their  utmost,  he 
could  see  nothing. 

Again  he  resumed  his  march,  and  passed  from 
one  end  of  the  post  to  the  other. 

As  he  came  up  close  to  a  large  rock,  two  shadowy 
forms  loomed  up  behind  him. 

There  was  a  quick  movement,  and  before  Dan 
could  resist  he  was  caught  from  behind  and  a 
pitch  plaster  was  clapped  over  his  mouth.  Then 
a  bag  came  down  over  his  head,  shutting  out 
everything  from  view. 

He  had  in  the  meantime  tried  to  discharge  his 
gun,  but  a  hand  caught  the  trigger,  and  in  a  mo- 
ment the  weapon  was  twisted  from  his  grasp. 

Feeling  he  must  be  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
who  were  trying  to  steal  into  the  camp  during  the 
storm,  perhaps  to  learn  valuable  information,  Dan 
did  his  best  to  release  himself. 

But  the  attack  had  been  prepared  with  care,  and 
before  he  could  scarcely  move,  the  bag  over  his 
head  was  tied  around  his  neck  and  his  wrists  were 
forced  into  a  pair  of  hand- cuffs  behind  his  back. 

"These  Mexicans  certainly  know  how  to  do  the 
trick,"  was  his  thought. 

As  soon  as  his  hands  were  secured  he  was 
struck  a  blow  over  the  head  which  almost  stunned 
him  and  knocked  him  off  his  feet. 


DAN'S   UNUSUAL   EXPERIENCE  I  57 

Then  he  was  picked  up  and  carried  off,  he  knew 
not  to  where. 

The  journey  lasted  less  than  five  minutes,  and 
during  that  time  Dan  had  all  he  could  do  to  get 
his  breath  through  his  nose,  his  mouth  being 
tightly  closed  by  the  pitch  plaster,  and  the  bag 
over  his  head  being  uncommonly  close. 

Finally  he  was  cast  upon  the  ground,  in  a  hol- 
low where  the  water  was  several  inches  deep. 

Then  a  small  hole  was  punched  in  the  bag  and 
a  rough  voice  said  : 

"That'll  give  him  air,  I  reckon." 

"  Don't  give  him  too  much  air.  He  may  cry 
out,"  answered  another  voice. 

The  voices  were  evidently  disguised  by  the 
speakers,  yet  in  some  manner  they  sounded 
strangely  familiar.  Where  had  he  heard  them 
before  ? 

The  persons  who  had  carried  him  to  the  wet 
spot  now  proceeded  to  bind  his  lower  limbs  to- 
gether, so  that  walking  or  even  crawling  would  be 
impossible. 

As  they  worked  they  continued  to  converse  in 
a  low  tone,  but  what  was  said  Dan  could  not  make 
out. 

At  last  the  persons  moved  away  silently,  leaving 
Dan  where  they  had  placed  him. 


158  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

The  rain  came  down  furiously  now,  wetting  the 
young  soldier  to  the  skin  and  causing  the  water  in 
the  hollow  to  grow  deeper  and  deeper. 

Dan  did  not  think  there  was  any  danger  of 
drowning,  but  he  did  not  relish  remaining  in  the 
mud  water,  and  so  tried  his  best  to  roll  himself  out 
of  the  hole. 

In  this  way  he  at  last  succeeded,  bringing  up 
against  some  rocks  not  ten  feet  away.  This  was 
as  far  as  he  could  get,  and  there  he  remained,  the 
furious  rain  pelting  him  as  hard  as  ever. 

As  he  lay  a  prisoner  he  speculated  upon  who 
had  made  him  a  prisoner.  Certainly  they  were 
not  Mexicans.  They  spoke  good  English,  without 
the  slightest  trace  of  an  accent. 

Suddenly  something  in  the  voice  of  one  of  the 
speakers  came  to  his  mind.  He  remembered  that 
something  now. 

"  Sounded  like  Jack  Bracer ! "  thought  Dan. 
"And  if  it  really  was  that  fellow,  then  his  com- 
panion must  have  been  Dwight  Pellingham,  for 
the  two  are  constantly  together,  although  what  a 
fop  like  Pellingham  can  find  in  such  a  coarse  chap 
as  Bracer  to  admire,  is  beyond  me." 

Now  he  felt  sure  of  the  identity  of  the  pair, 
Dan  began  to  wonder  more  than  ever  why  they 
had  made  him  a  prisoner. 


DAN'S    UNUSUAL   EXPERIENCE  I  59 

"  It  can't  be  that  they  are  in  league  with  the 
Mexicans,"  he  reasoned.  "  Bracer  might  turn 
traitor,  but  Pellingham  is  too  much  of  a  coward. 
I  wonder  if  they  did  it  merely  to  get  me  into 
trouble  with  the  officer  of  the  guard  ? " 

An  hour  passed,  and  still  Dan  was  left  to  him- 
self. In  vain  he  struggled  at  his  bonds  ;  the  hand- 
cuffs could  neither  be  broken  nor  slipped  off. 

The  storm  had  let  up  a  bit,  but  now  it  broke 
forth  in  additional  fury. 

In  the  midst  of  the  downpour  he  felt  somebody 
beside  him.  The  handcuffs  were  unlocked  and 
withdrawn.  Then  the  somebody  withdrew  as 
silently  as  he  had  come. 

"  More  mystery,"  thought  Dan. 

With  his  hands  at  liberty  it  did  not  take  him 
long  to  unloosen  the  bag  tied  around  his  neck. 
This  done,  he  tore  the  pitch  plaster  from  his  mouth 
and  took  several  deep  and  refreshing  draughts  of 
the  cool  night  air. 

Releasing  his  lower  limbs  came  next.  As  he 
worked  on  the  bonds  he  gazed  sharply  into  the 
darkness  around  him,  but  could  see  nobody. 

His  gun  lay  close  at  hand,  and  an  examination 
proved  that  nobody  had  tampered  with  the 
weapon. 

"  Well,  if  this  don't  beat  the  nation !  "  he  mut- 


l6o  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

tered.  "  Now,  why  in  creation  did  they  treat  me 
in  this  fashion  ?" 

Then  of  a  sudden  came  another  thought,  and 
his  face  grew  unusually  sober. 

He  knew  what  it  meant  to  be  off  his  post  dur- 
ing guard-duty  time.  He  was  in  for  arrest,  fol- 
lowed probably  by  court  martial.  It  might  be  that 
they  would  even  shoot  him  for  neglect  of  duty  in 
the  face  of  the  enemy.  He  had  heard  that  Gen- 
eral Scott  was  unusually  strict,  and  considered 
neglect  of  guard  duty  a  great  crime  at  any  time, 
and  especially  when  the  camp  lay  so  close  to  the 
enemy. 

"  There  is  no  use  of  talking,  I  am  in  for  it !  "  he 
groaned.  "  I  don't  believe  they'll  believe  my  story. 
There  will  be  nobody  at  hand  to  prove  what  I  say." 

Nevertheless  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to 
"face  the  music,"  and  this  being  so,  the  young 
soldier  set  about  finding  his  way  back  into  the 
American  lines  —  for  he  felt  certain  he  had  been 
carried  away  from  the  camp,  and  not  toward  it. 

Getting  back  was  no  easy  task,  for  he  was  among 
tall  brushwood  and  big  rocks,  and  the  storm  of 
the  night  had  washed  out  the  camp-fires  which 
might  have  guided  him.  He  mounted  a  high  rock 
and  tried  to  locate  himself,  but  the  effort  was  a 
failure. 


DAN'S   UNUSUAL   EXPERIENCE  l6l 

"  I'll  have  to  tramp  around  until  I  strike  some 
guard,"  he  told  himself.  "They  couldn't  have 
carried  me  very  far,  and  if  I  move  in  a  wide  circle 
I'll  be  bound  to  fetch  up  against  our  guard  line 
sooner  or  later." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

IN    THE    GUARD  -  TENT 

In  an  exceedingly  bitter  frame  of  mind,  Dan 
tramped  on,  through  the  wet  mesquite  bushes  and 
over  the  rough  rocks.  He  was  soaked  to  the 
skin,  and  far  from  comfortable  physically,  yet  he 
did  not  think  of  this.  His  whole  mind  was  con- 
centrated on  the  probable  outcome  of  the  strange 
adventure. 

At  last  he  imagined  he  saw  a  form  moving  back 
and  forth  in  the  darkness.  He  advanced  a  few 
yards  farther. 

"  Halt !  "  came  the  command,  in  a  clear  Ameri- 
can voice.     "  Who  goes  there  ? " 

"  A  friend,"  answered  Dan. 

"Advance  and  give  the  countersign,"  went  on 
the  guard,  with  his  gun  pointed  at  Dan's  breast. 

"Washington,"  came  from  Dan,  promptly. 
Then  the  gun  of  the  guard  dropped  and  he  looked 
at  the  young  soldier  more  closely. 

"  Hullo,  if  it    ain't   Dan   Radbury !  "  exclaimed 
the  picket.     "  Where  have  you  been,  anyway  ?  " 
162 


IN  THE    GUARD -TENT  163 

"  Not  very  far,  Woods." 

"The  sergeant  of  the  guard  has  been  looking 
for  you,"  went  on  Woods,  and  shook  his  head  in  a 
manner  that  meant  a  good  deal. 

"I  suppose  he  has  been,"  said  Dan,  gloomily. 
"  Where  is  he  now  ?  " 

"  Up  at  the  guard-tent,  I  reckon.  Why  did  you 
slip  away  ?  You  might  have  known  you  would 
get  caught  at  it,"  continued  the  picket,  who  knew 
Dan  fairly  well  and  liked  him. 

"I  didn't  slip  away." 

"  But  you've  been  gone." 

"I  was  carried  away." 

"  Cracky,  you  don't  mean  it !  I  didn't  reckon 
the  greasers  were  so  close."  And  Woods  clutched 
his  musket  tighter  than  usual. 

"  I  don't  believe  it  was  the  greasers,  Woods." 

"  No  ? " 

"  I  do  not.  A  bag  was  put  over  my  head  and 
a  pitch  plaster  over  my  mouth,  so  I  couldn't  yell 
for  help." 

"  Humph  !  that's  strange.  You  must  have  — 
Here  comes  Sergeant  Peltry  now." 

As  the  guard  finished,  the  officer  of  the 
pickets  came  into  view  and  both  Woods  and 
Dan  saluted.  The  sergeant  frowned  at  the 
young  soldier. 


164  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  Radbury,  where  have  you  been  ? "  he  de- 
manded, sharply. 

"  I  have  been  a  prisoner,  sir." 

"  Of  the  enemy  ?  " 

"  Of  my  enemies,  anyway ;  I  don't  know  if 
they  were  Mexicans  or  not." 

"  I  missed  you  an  hour  before  your  time  was 
up.  If  you  were  attacked,  why  didn't  you  fire 
your  gun  ? " 

"  I  didn't  get  the  chance,"  answered  Dan,  and 
then  told  his  story  in  detail. 

"  That's  a  queer  tale,  Radbury.  Do  you  expect 
me  to  believe  it  ?  " 

"  It's  the  truth,  Sergeant  Peltry,  whether  you 
believe  it  or  not.  You  can  feel  some  of  that  pitch 
around  my  mouth  yet." 

"You  could  easily  put  that  on  yourself.  What 
would  be  the  object  of  your  enemies  in  tying  you 
up  and  then  letting  you  go  ?  " 

"  Most  likely  to  get  me  into  trouble." 

"  Humph  !  They'  d  run  a  big  risk.  We  are  now 
at  war,  not  in  camp  for  the  fun  of  it." 

"  I  know  that,  sir." 

"  I  shall  have  to  report  this  matter  to  the  colonel." 

"  Can  I  speak  to  him  myself  ? " 

"Not  now.  Perhaps  you  can  in  the  morning. 
But  now  you'll  go  to  the  guard-tent  with  me." 


IN  THE    GUARD -TENT  1 65 

Dan's  heart  sank  within  him.  In  all  his  career 
as  a  soldier  he  had  never  before  been  under  arrest 
for  neglect  of  picket  duty. 

"  Then  I  may  consider  myself  —  "  He  could 
not  finish. 

"  Under  arrest  ?  Certainly.  What  else  did  you 
expect  ?     Give  me  your  gun." 

Reluctantly  the  young  soldier  passed  the  weapon 
over.  Then  he  was  marched  to  the  guard-tent, 
a  small  circular  affair,  surrounded  with  tall  and 
sharp-pointed  stakes.  Several  soldiers  walked 
around  the  military  lockup. 

"  Go  in  there,"  commanded  Sergeant  Peltry, 
coldly.  "And  mind,  I  want  no  more  nonsense 
from  you.  Let  me  add,  I  believe  your  story  is 
a  falsehood  from  beginning  to  end." 

With  a  heart  that  felt  like  a  lump  of  lead,  Dan 
walked  into  the  guard-tent.  There  was  no  light 
within,  and  he  had  taken  but  a  few  steps  when  he 
tripped  over  a  drunken  soldier  who  lay  snoring  on 
the  ground. 

"  Git  off  o'  me ! "  came  in  a  growl,  and  some 
horrible  swearing  followed.  Then  the  drunkard 
went  to  sleep  again,  and  Dan  took  good  care  to 
give  him  a  wide  berth  from  that  time  on. 

Slowly  the  hours  wore  away.  Dan  was  very 
tired,  but  it  was  a  long  while  before  he  fell  asleep, 


1 66  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

and  then  he  dreamed  that  he  was  once  more  a 
prisoner  and  that  he  was  sentenced  to  be  shot. 
There  was  a  report,  and  Dan  felt  a  stinging  sensa- 
tion on  the  forehead. 

The  young  soldier  awoke  with  a  start,  to  find 
Dwight  Pellingham  grinning  at  him.  The  dandy 
soldier  had  thrown  a  stone  at  Dan  which  had 
landed  on  the  sleeper's  forehead. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ? "  demanded  Dan, 
and  then  added  :  "  Did  you  throw  that  stone  at 
me  ? " 

"  I  didn't  throw  anything,"  growled  Pellingham. 
"  I'm  doing  my  guard  duty,  that's  all.  I  wouldn't 
be  here  if  I  didn't  have  to  be." 

"  You  got  me  into  a  nice  mess,  Pellingham." 

At  this  direct  accusation  the  fop's  face  grew 
slightly  pale. 

"  Me  ?  "  he  stammered.  "  What  do  you  mean  ? 
I  haven't  done  anything." 

"  I  know  better." 

"I  don't  know  what  you  are  talking  about." 

"Yes,  you  do." 

"  If  you  are  trying  to  get  me  into  trouble  I'll  — 
I'll  —  " 

"What  will  you  do?" 

"  Never  mind.  But  you'll  be  sorry,  remember 
that." 


IN  THE    GUARD -TENT  1 67 

"  I  want  to  know  who  helped  you  carry  me  off  ? 
Was  it  Jack  Bracer  ? " 

"  You  talk  in  riddles.  I  never  carried  you  off," 
went  on  Pellingham,  but  his  lips  trembled  so 
he  could  scarcely  frame  the  words. 

"  I  believe  you  did,"  said  Dan. 

It  was  almost  ten  o'clock  when  the  officer  of  the 
guard  ordered  Dan  to  the  headquarters  of  the 
colonel  of  the  regiment.  As  Dan  entered  he  saw 
General  Scott  sitting  on  a  camp-chair,  in  earnest 
conversation  with  several  other  military  men.  The 
famous  general  was  dressed  for  battle  and  looked 
up  quickly  when  the  prisoner  came  in  and  saluted. 

The  story  the  sergeant  of  the  guard  had  to  relate 
was  soon  told,  and  the  colonel  of  the  regiment 
asked  Dan  a  number  of  questions  while  General 
Scott  looked  on  with  interest. 

"  Do  you  suspect  anybody  of  doing  this  ? "  asked 
the  colonel. 

"  I  do,  sir,"  answered  Dan. 

"  Yet  you  didn't  see  the  parties  ? " 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Whom  do  you  suspect  ? " 

"Two  soldiers  who  are  on  bad  terms  with  me." 

"  What  are  their  names  ? " 

"I  would  not  like  to  say  at  present,  sir.  It 
is  possible  that  I  am  mistaken." 


1 68  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  Ah  !  "  The  colonel  paused.  "  Radbury,  don't 
you  know  that  this  is  a  serious  piece  of  business  ?  " 

"  I  do,  sir.  But  I  am  innocent  of  any  wrong- 
doing. I  was  attacked  from  behind  and  got 
no  chance  to  give  the  alarm." 

"  Unless  you  can  prove  what  you  say,  and  that 
now,  you  will  have  to  stand  court  martial." 

The  colonel  looked  at  General  Scott  as  he  spoke, 
but  the  great  commander  said  nothing,  nor  did  his 
face  show  that  he  approved  or  disapproved  of  the 
colonel's  action. 

"  I  can't  prove  anything  just  now,  sir.  But  if 
you  will  give  me  a  little  time  —  " 

The  colonel  shook  his  head. 

"You  will  have  to  stand  trial,  Radbury." 

"But,  sir  —  " 

"  I  haven't  time  for  any  more  words.  Sergeant, 
remove  the  prisoner." 

The  colonel  turned  his  back  and  began  to  talk  to 
General  Scott  and  the  other  military  men  who  had 
come  in  to  have  a  friendly  chat.  The  sergeant  of 
the  guard  motioned  to  Dan,  and  the  young  soldier 
marched  from  the  tent. 

While  Dan  was  on  his  way  back  to  the  guard- 
tent  he  saw  Poke  hurrying  across  the  company 
"street." 

"  Can  I  speak  to  Stover  ?  "  he  asked. 


IN  THE   GUARD -TENT  1 69 

"  Yes,  at  the  guard-tent,"  answered  the  sergeant. 

The  drunken  soldier  was  already  gone,  so  Dan 
had  the  guard-tent  all  to  himself.  He  motioned  to 
Poke,  and  soon  the  frontiersman  came  up  and  went 
in  with  him.  Pellingham  was  away,  having  been 
relieved  by  another  soldier. 

"  It's  a  downright  shame,  hang  me  ef  it  ain't," 
exclaimed  Poke,  after  listening  to  Dan's  story. 
"  It's  a  pity  ye  can't  spot  the  chaps  as  did  the 
trick  on  ye." 

"I've  been  thinking  you  might  help  me,  Poke." 

"Wall,  I'm  willin'  enough,  goodness  knows. 
But  what  kin  I  do  ?  Might  go  to  General  Scott 
and  beg  ye  off,  eh  ? " 

"  No,  the  general  was  in  the  colonel's  tent  and 
heard  the  whole  story.  I  want  you  to  spy  on 
Pellingham  and  Bracer.  Perhaps  you  can  catch 
them  talking  of  the  deed  and  corner  them  that 
way  —  if  they  really  are  guilty  —  and  I  feel  almost 
certain  they  are." 

"  Thet's  the  talk,  Dan  !  I'll  do  it,  an'  git  some- 
body else  to  listen,  too,"  answered  Poke. 

A  few  words  more  followed,  and  then  the  fron- 
tiersman went  off  on  a  mission  for  one  of  the  lieu- 
tenants. Dan  sat  down  and  gave  himself  up  to  long 
and  bitter  reflections.  If  he  was  court-martialed 
and  found  guilty,  what  would  they  do  with  him  ? 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

POKE    PLAYS    THE    SPY 

Poke  Stover,  as  we  know,  thought  a  great  deal 
of  Dan,  and,  when  he  left  the  guard  -  tent,  his 
mind  was  filled  with  a  hope  that  he  might  be  able 
to  discover  some  evidence  which  would  clear  the 
young  soldier  of  the  charge  preferred  against  him. 

"  He  ain't  guilty  o'  doin'  anything  wrong,  thet's 
certain,"  said  the  old  frontiersman  to  himself. 
"Dan  wouldn't  leave  his  post  nohow.  They  put 
up  a  measly  job  on  him,  an'  who  done  it  is  fer 
me  to  find  out." 

Poke's  errand  was  for  a  lieutenant  named  Ford, 
and,  on  returning,  he  found  this  officer  sitting  on 
a  sand-bank,  in  the  shelter  of  a  pile  of  cut  brush, 
smoking  a  pipe.  Lieutenant  Ford  had  been  a 
frontiersman  himself,  and  he  and  Poke  were  on 
excellent  terms. 

"It's  all  right,  leftenant,"  said  Poke,  as  he  came 
up  and  saluted.  "  The  wagons  will  be  over  inside 
o'  the  next  two  hours,  so  the  head  teamster  said." 

170 


POKE   PLAYS    THE  SPY  I J I 

"  Good  enough,"  returned  the  lieutenant.  "  You 
spoke  about  that  ammunition  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  he  said  it  was  in  wagons  28  and  30." 

"Then  that's  settled."  The  lieutenant  drew  a 
long  whiff  of  his  pipe.  "Sit  down,  Stover,  and 
make  yourself  comfortable.  There  is  nothing 
more  to  do  just  at  present." 

"  Not  for  you,  leftenant,  but  there  is  for  me." 

"  More  work  ?     For  the  captain  ?  " 

"  No  ;  for  a  young  friend  o'  mine  —  Dan  Rad- 
bury." 

"  The  private  who  is  under  arrest  ? " 

"The  same." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  for  him  ? " 

"  I  am  going  to  clear  him  of  the  charge  against 
him,  if  it's  possible,  an'  I  think,  maybe,  it  is." 

"  What  can  you  do  ?  " 

"  He  has  two  enemies  in  this  camp,  and  he 
thinks  they  are  the  ones  who  got  him  into  this 
scrape.  I'm  going  to  play  the  spy  on  the  pair, 
and  see  if  I  can't  git  a  clue." 

"If  it's  any  of  my  business,  who  are  his 
enemies  ? " 

"Wall,  I  know  I  kin  trust  you,  leftenant,  so  I 
don't  mind  tellin'  ye.  They  are  thet  dandy,  Pel- 
lingham,  and  Jack  Bracer." 

"  Humph  !     I  know  the  pair.     Pellingham  hasn't 


172  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

any  brains  to  spare,  and  as  for  Bracer,  —  well,  I 
wouldn't  trust  him  with  an  old  pair  of  boots." 

"  Right  ye  are,  leftenant.  An'  I  am  satisfied 
they  are  guilty." 

"  It  won't  be  easy  to  prove  it,"  returned  Lieu- 
tenant Ford,  as  he  refilled  his  pipe. 

"I  reckon  not,  but  — "  Poke  paused,  and 
gazed  across  the  sand-banks  to  where  two  sol- 
diers were  walking  slowly  along.  "  Thar  they  go, 
now !  " 

The  frontiersman  was  right ;  the  pair  were 
Dwight  Pellingham  and  Jack  Bracer.  They  were 
talking  earnestly,  and  hardly  noticed  where  they 
were  going. 

"  Now  is  your  chance  to  spy,  if  you  want  to  do 
it,"  said  Lieutenant  Ford. 

"Yes,  I'll  follow  'em,"  was  the  answer.  "By 
the  way,  I'd  like  a  witness  —  in  case  they  talk  as 
I  expect.  Will  you  go  along  ?  It  will  be  a  big 
favor." 

"Certainly,  I'll  go,  Stover;  anything  to  oblige 
an  old  friend,  and  get  Radbury  out  of  his  trouble, 
if  he  is  blameless." 

Pellingham  and  Bracer  had  passed  around  the 
end  of  a  large  sand-hill,  and  were  now  making 
their  way  to  a  series  of  rocks  lying  beyond  a 
fringe  of   cacti.     With  caution,  Poke  Stover   fol- 


POKE  PLAYS    THE   SPY  1 73 

lowed  in  their  footsteps,  and  Lieutenant  Ford 
brought  up  the  rear. 

At  length  the  two  soldiers  ahead  paused  near 
the  shelter  of  a  large  rock,  where  a  single  tree 
shoved  its  trunk  up  amid  the  general  barrenness. 

"  I'm  not  going  any  farther,"  Poke  heard  Pel- 
lingham  say.     "  I'm  dog-tired." 

"'Im  tired  myself,"  replied  Bracer.  "But  it 
was  best  to  get  out  of  camp.  Too  many  ears 
around  there." 

"That  is  true,"  returned  the  dandy,  nervously. 
"  Jack,  do  you  think  they  suspect  us  ? "  he  went 
on,  after  a  pause. 

"  I  suppose  they  do,  if  Radbury  told  them  about 
what  he  said  to  you." 

"  But  I  didn't  give  in  to  anything." 

"  If  they  haul  you  up  for  examination,  you  must 
keep  a  stiff  upper  lip." 

"  To  be  sure." 

"  What  I  want  is  this,"  continued  Bracer,  throw- 
ing himself  down  in  a  convenient  spot.  "The 
colonel  may  take  it  into  his  head  to  haul  us  up 
for  examination  separately.  If  he  does,  we  must, 
each  of  us,  be  able  to  tell  a  straight  story." 

"Well,  I  can  do  that." 

"  You  mustn't  say  you  were  with  me,  nor  must  I 
say  that  I  was  with  you.     If  we  do  that,  they  may 


174  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

go  into  some  details,  and  trip  one  or  the  other  of 
us  up.  If  they  ask  questions,  say  you  didn't  see 
me  that  night  at  all,  and  stick  to  it." 

"But  somebody  may  have  seen  us  together." 

"  I  think  not.  I  am  going  to  prove  that  I  went 
on  guard  duty  part  of  the  time,  and  was  in  my 
tent  the  balance  of  the  time.  The  tent  was 
empty,  so  they  can't  prove  otherwise." 

"Well,  I  can't  say  I  was  in  the  tent,  for  Rolli- 
son  was  sleeping  there.     He  knows  I  was  absent." 

"  Then  say  you  were  somewhere  else  —  hunting 
firewood,  or  anything." 

"  I  can  say  I  was  out  looking  for  a  wagon  which 
a  friend  of  mine  is  driving.  Harry  Jackson  drives 
such  a  wagon,  and  I  know  him  well." 

"Then  that  will  do.  And  remember  that  you 
must  stick  to  what  you  first  tell,  no  matter  how 
they  try  to  twist  you  up.  Of  course,  if  it  comes 
to  a  court  martial,  Radbury  will  do  his  level  best 
to  clear  himself." 

"What  will  they  do  with  him  if  he  is  found 
guilty  ? " 

"  Either  put  him  in  prison  or  shoot  him." 

At  the  last  words  Dwight  Pellingham  gave  a 
shiver. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  want  them  to  shoot  him  !  That 
would  be  carrying  the  game  too  far." 


POKE   PLAYS   THE  SPY  1 75 

"I  don't  care  what  they  do,"  was  Jack  Bracer's 
rough  reply.  "  But  I  guess  they  won't  shoot  him. 
He  can't  ride  over  me.  When  we  went  into  the 
game  I  expected  to  get  him  into  serious  trouble. 
It  wasn't  any  fun  to  capture  him  in  that  howling 
storm  and  tie  him  up  and  carry  him  off." 

"  It's  a  wonder  that  pitch  plaster  didn't  smother 
him." 

"  Oh,  he's  tough,  Pelly,  —  a  good  deal  tougher 
than  a  city  chap  like  you." 

"  That  must  be  it." 

So  the  talk  ran  on.  Poke  and  Lieutenant  Ford 
listened  with  great  interest  to  every  word  that  was 
said. 

"They  are  guilty  beyond  the  shadow  of  a 
doubt,"  whispered  the  lieutenant. 

"They  ought  to  have  their  necks  wrung  for 
'em  !  "  growled  the  old  frontiersman. 

"  What  do  you  want  to  do  next  ? " 

Poke  scratched  his  head. 

"  I  don't  know  exactly.  Can't  I  go  to  the  colo- 
nel an'  have  'em  arrested  on  the  spot  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  although  that  may  not  be  advisable. 
Why  not  keep  our  eyes  on  them  until  Radbury  is 
about  to  be  tried  ?  They  may  be  up  to  even 
worse  doings." 

"  Jest  as  you  say,  leftenant." 


176  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  We  can  clear  Radbury  at  any  time,  and  that's 
the  main  point.  But  we  want  to  get  all  the  evi- 
dence we  can  against  these  fellows,  so  that  we  can 
do  them  full  justice  when  we  strike." 

Pellingham  and  Bracer  were  now  moving  away, 
and  Poke  and  the  lieutenant  took  good  care  that 
they  should  not  be  seen  by  the  disreputable  pair. 

Hardly  had  the  evil-doers  gone  when  there 
came  a  bugle-call,  followed  by  the  rolling  of 
drums.  A  moment  later  came  a  booming  of  half 
a  dozen  cannon  located  on  a  hill  not  far  away. 
This  discharge  was  answered  by  a  similar  booming 
from  the  city  of  Vera  Cruz. 

"  Hullo,  we've  got  to  get  back  to  quarters ! " 
cried  Lieutenant  Ford,  leaping  to  his  feet.  "The 
bombardment  from  this  end  has  started  again ! " 

"  Right  ye  are  !  "  returned  the  old  frontiersman. 
"An'  I  reckon  as  how  it's  going  to  be  heavy,"  he 
added,  as  the  enemy's  guns  spoke  up  again. 

"Well,  that's  what  we've  been  waiting  for, 
Stover.     Come  on  !  " 

Side  by  side  they  ran  back  to  camp,  taking  care 
to  go  by  a  different  route  than  that  pursued  by 
Pellingham  and  Bracer. 

In  the  camp  all  was  activity,  and  Poke  had  so 
many  duties  to  perform  that,  for  the  time  being, 
Dan  was  forgotten.     The  old  frontiersman  ran  to 


POKE  PLAYS    THE  SPY  1 77 

join  his  company,  and  soon  he  was  marching  forth 
toward  a  breastworks  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the 
eastward. 

"  Do  your  best  to-day,  boys  !  "  shouted  the  cap- 
tain.    "  If  you  take  a  shot,  make  it  tell !  " 

"  We  will !  "  came  back  the  cry. 

And  then  the  company  went  forward  on  the 
double-quick,  ready  to  do  its  duty,  no  matter  what 
might  be  the  consequences. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  RESULT  OF  CANNON  FIRE 

The  bombardment  of  Vera  Cruz  was  indeed  on 
in  all  of  its  power,  and  for  hours  shot  and  shell 
rained  down  hotly  within  the  city's  walls.  Build- 
ing after  building  was  knocked  to  pieces,  and 
the  streets  were  strewn  with  the  dead  and  the 
dying. 

But  the  Mexicans  were  stout  of  heart  and  they 
returned  the  fire  with  vigor,  so  that  several  Ameri- 
can guns  were  rendered  next  to  useless,  and  a 
number  of  gunners  were  either  killed  or  wounded. 

Often  a  shot  would  strike  the  sand  with  tre- 
mendous force,  scattering  it  like  so  much  hail. 
Poke  Stover  got  a  dose  of  this,  and  it  cut  him 
severely  on  the  cheek,  while  it  deprived  him  of  a 
portion  of  his  hair. 

"By  gopher!"  he  exclaimed,  as  he  wiped  the 

blood  from  his  wounds.      "  Thet's   putty  bad  an' 

no    mistake !      Wish    I    could  git  back  at   ye ! " 

And  he  shook  his  fist  at  the  city  in  the  distance. 

178 


THE  RESULT  OF  CANNON  FIRE  1 79 

But  "  getting  back "  at  the  city  with  anything 
less  than  a  cannon  was  impossible,  and  all  the  sol- 
diers could  do  was  to  "lay  low"  and  watch  for  a 
possible  sortie  on  the  part  of  the  Mexicans.  But 
this  did  not  take  place,  for  the  Mexicans  knew 
they  were  surrounded  by  an  enemy  who  was  only 
too  willing  to  do  battle  at  close  range. 

At  length  there  came  a  lull,  welcome  to  both 
sides,  and  for  two  hours  the  United  States  soldiers 
imagined  that  the  city  was  going  to  surrender. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  the  Mexican  officials  did  hold 
a  consultation,  but  nothing  came  of  it.  Then  the 
cannonading  was  renewed  with  increased  vigor  for 
half  an  hour  more,  when  it  gradually  subsided, 
dying  out  altogether  at  sundown. 

"All  for  nothing,"  remarked  one  soldier  to 
Poke,  on  the  march  back  to  camp. 

"Don't  know  about  thet,"  said  the  frontiersman. 
"  Reckon  as  how  them  greasers  caught  it  putty  hot- 
like. An'  if  they  did,  they  may  be  willing  to  come 
to  terms  by  to-morrow  morning." 

"  They  won't  surrender  until  they  are  thoroughly 
whipped.  They  know  too  well  what  it  means  — 
that  General  Scott  will  immediately  march  on  the 
City  of  Mexico  itself.  " 

"  Vera  Cruz  will  surrender  inside  o'  a  week  — 
jest  you  wait  an'  see  if  I  ain't  right,"  said  Poke. 


l80  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

Lying  behind  the  breastworks  had  been  very 
tiresome,  and  when  he  got  back  to  camp  Poke  felt 
inclined  to  rest ;  but  some  ammunition-wagons 
were  still  missing,  and  he  was  sent  off  at  once 
after  them.  So  he  got  no  chance  to  tell  Dan  of 
what  he  had  heard,  nor  did  he  talk  further  with 
Lieutenant  Ford. 

The  chase  after  the  ammunition-wagon  lasted 
until  long  after  midnight,  and  was  the  cause  of 
Poke  getting  into  a  laughable,  if  not  a  serious, 
predicament.  He  was  on  horseback,  and  had  just 
come  up  to  the  wagons  when  his  horse  went  down 
into  a  hole,  almost  breaking  a  leg. 

"  Whoa  thar !  "  he  cried,  and  reined  up  the 
steed.  "  By  gosh !  thet's  a  nasty  hole.  Ef  ye 
don't  look  out  —  Oh  !  oh  !  oh  !  " 

Poke  gave  a  start  and  then  began  to  slap  right 
and  left,  and  with  good  reason.  The  hole  was 
nothing  less  than  a  hornet's  nest,  and  let  me  say 
right  here  that  the  Mexican  hornet  is  about  the 
most  vicious  in  creation. 

Up  came  the  pests  in  a  swarm,  thoroughly  en- 
raged at  having  their  home  so  unceremoniously 
invaded.  Some  bit  Poke  on  the  hands  and  others 
alighted  on  his  face,  still  sore  from  the  sand  cuts. 

Slap  !  slap  !  slap !  went  the  old  frontiersman's 
hands,  while  he  dodged  his  head  right  and   left. 


POKE'S    ENCOUNTER    WITH    THE    MEXICAN    HORNETS 


THE  RESULT  OF  CANNON  FIRE  l8l 

Then  the  hornets  attacked  the  horse,  and  in  a 
twinkle  the  steed  began  to  kick  and  plunge,  and 
then  set  off  on  a  dead  gallop  into  the  mesquite 
brush. 

It  was  a  wild  ride,  and  only  by  pure  good  luck 
did  Poke  stick  in  the  saddle  while  the  horse  plunged 
and  snorted.  The  steed  travelled  a  good  quarter 
of  a  mile  before  he  could  be  brought  to  a  halt. 

"  Whoa  thar !  "  Poke  kept  on  calling,  but  the 
horse  paid  no  heed.  He  wanted  to  get  clear  of 
those  hornets  and  would  have  travelled  all  the  way 
to  the  State  of  Texas  to  do  it  if  necessary. 

But  at  last  he  stopped,  and  Poke  killed  the  last 
of  the  pests  with  vigorous  slaps  of  his  broad  palm. 
The  frontiersman's  nose  was  stung  and  swollen 
and  presented  a  comical  appearance  when  he 
finally  got  to  where  he  had  wanted  to  go. 

"  Must  have  been  drinking  heavily,"  said  one 
teamster,  with  a  wink. 

"  Drinkin'  ? "  roared  Poke.  "  Not  much  !  It 
was  hornets,  drat  'em  !  " 

"  Step  into  one  of  them  air  holes  ? " 

"Yes." 

"  Gosh  !  I  know  'em !  They  air  terrors  an'  no 
error ! " 

"Where's  wagon  16?"  demanded  Poke,  getting 
down  to  business. 


1 82  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  Broke  an  axle  two  hours  ago,  comin'  across 
yonder  gully." 

"  The  colonel  wants  that  ammunition.  Better 
put  it  in  another  wagon  and  send  it  along." 

"That's  what  I  am  doing,"  replied  the  teamster. 

It  was  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  Poke 
got  back  to  his  tent.  He  was  very  tired  and  knew 
it  would  be  useless  to  try  to  see  Dan  at  that  time 
of  the  night.  He  covered  his  hornet  stings  with 
mud  —  that  being  both  a  handy  and  a  good  rem- 
edy—  and  lay  down  to  sleep,  and  did  not  awaken 
until  time  for  roll-call. 

There  was  but  little  doing  after  roll-call,  and  in 
the  middle  of  the  forenoon  Poke  received  permis- 
sion to  call  upon  Dan  in  the  guard-tent.  He 
found  the  young  soldier  seated  on  the  ground  in 
anything  but  a  happy  mood.  Dan  had  heard  the 
bombardment  but  had  not  learned  any  of  the  par- 
ticulars. 

"  Got  good  news  fer  ye,"  said  Poke,  as  he  sat 
down  beside  the  young  soldier.  He  spoke  in  a 
whisper,  so  that  the  guard  pacing  back  and  forth 
in  front  of  the  doorway  might  not  hear. 

At  once  Dan's  eyes  brightened. 

"  Good  news,  Poke  ?     Oh,  tell  me  what  it  is  !  " 

"I've  found  'em  out !  " 

"  Who  ?     Pellingham  and  Bracer  ? " 


THE  RESULT  OF  CANNON  FIRE  1 83 

"Yes." 

"  Then  they  are  guilty,  as  I  suspected  ?  " 

"  They  are,  Dan.  They  are  the  biggest  villains 
unhung,"  went  on  the  old  frontiersman,  earnestly. 

"  How  did  you  manage  it  ? "  and  now  Dan  was 
all  attention. 

In  his  own  peculiar  way  Poke  Stover  told  his 
story  in  detail,  to  which  Dan  listened  closely. 
When  he  had  finished  there  was  a  smile  on  the 
young  soldier's  face. 

"  I  told  you  so  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Oh,  how 
glad  I  am  that  you  followed  them  —  and  that  you 
took  Lieutenant  Ford  along." 

"Yes,  I'm  glad  I  took  the  leftenant  myself, 
Dan.  His  testimony  will  clear  you  sure.  If  I 
had  gone  alone,  perhaps  they  wouldn't  have  taken 
my  word  —  seein'  as  how  I'm  your  close  friend." 

"  That  is  true.  If  you  testified  alone,  Pelling- 
ham  and  Bracer  would  be  sure  to  say  it  was  a 
plot  hatched  up  between  us  to  free  me.  But  they 
won't  dare  say  that  against  Lieutenant  Ford — he 
is  too  popular,  and  everybody  knows  he  is  as 
straight  as  a  string." 

"True  to  the  dot,  Dan.  Yes,  the  leftenant  is 
the  one  to  clear  ye  —  not  but  what  I  mean  to  have 
my  say,  too,  when  the  time  comes." 

"To  be  sure.     It  will  make  the  case  so  much 


184  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

stronger  against  the  rascals.  Won't  they  be  sur- 
prised when  they  learn  how  the  tables  have  been 
turned  on  them  !  " 

"  When  is  that  court  martial  to  take  place  ?  " 

"  To-morrow  morning  I  believe." 

"Then  we  had  better  not  say  anything  until 
then." 

"  As  you  and  the  lieutenant  think  best,  Poke. 
I  know  you  will  do  your  best  for  me,"  added  Dan, 
gratefully,  and  he  gave  Poke's  hand  a  squeeze. 

"  Phew  !  Let  up  !  Oh  !  "  roared  the  old  frontiers- 
man, and  swung  the  hand  around  in  pain. 

u  Oh,  Poke,  I  didn't  want  to  hurt  you.  I  forgot 
all  about  the  hornet  stings,"  cried  Dan.  "Why 
don't  you  put  something  on  them  ?  " 

"  Did  put  mud  on.  They  don't  hurt  any  more 
—  exceptin'  when  you  squeeze  'em." 

The  guard  now  appeared  at  the  doorway. 

"What's  the  row  here  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"Nothin',"  answered  Poke. 

"Thought  I  heard  you  yell." 

"  I  squeezed  his  hand,  and  he's  been  stung  by 
hornets,"  explained  Dan. 

"  If  you  make  any  more  noise  like  that  he'll 
have  to  go,"  said  the  guard,  and  with  this  warning 
withdrew. 

A  talk  lasting  ten  minutes  followed,  and  then, 


THE  RESULT  OF  CANNON  FIRE  I  85 

his  time  for  the  interview  being  up,  Poke  arose  to 
leave  the  guard-tent. 

"  I'm  very  happy  over  this,"  said  Dan,  on  part- 
ing with  his  friend.  "  I  have  hardly  slept  a  wink 
through  thinking  of  what  would  happen  to  me  if 
they  found  me  guilty  at  the  court  martial." 

"Well,  you're  all  right  now,"  concluded  Poke. 

At  noon  came  the  regular  daily  drill,  and  then 
Poke  went  on  guard  duty.  This  lasted  four  hours, 
when  he  returned  again  to  his  tent. 

As  he  approached,  he  heard  some  soldiers  talk- 
ing of  the  men  who  had  been  killed  or  wounded 
during  the  last  bombardment  and  caught  the  name 
of  Lieutenant  Ford. 

"  What  about  Leftenant  Ford  ? "  he  demanded, 
anxiously. 

"  He  was  badly  wounded,"  was  the  reply,  which 
caused  the  old  frontiersman's  heart  to  sink. 

"  Wounded,  eh  ?     And  where  is  he  ?  " 

"Over  in  yonder  hospital  tent.".  The  speaker 
pointed  with  his  hand.  "A  bit  of  shell  hit  him 
in  the  back  of  the  head,  and  he  has  been  uncon- 
scious ever  since." 


CHAPTER   XX. 

A    HEARING    BEFORE    GENERAL    SCOTT 

Poke  Stover  was  much  dismayed  by  the  news 
that  Lieutenant  Ford  had  been  seriously  injured 
during  the  bombardment.  Like  a  flash  it  came 
to  him  that  if  the  lieutenant  could  not  testify  in 
Dan's  behalf,  matters  might  prove  very  serious  for 
the  young  soldier. 

Without  delay  he  walked  over  to  the  hospital 
where  the  officer  was  confined.  At  the  doorway 
the  guard  stopped  him. 

"  I  wish  to  know  about  Lef tenant  Ford,"  said 
the  old  frontiersman.     "  Is  he  badly  hurt  ?  " 

"  He  is.  The  head  surgeon  don't  think  he'll 
get  over  it." 

"  Do  you  suppose  I  can  speak  to  the  surgeon  a 
minute  ?     It's  important." 

"  I  don't  know.     I'll  pass  the  word  along." 

This  was  done ;  and  soon  word  came  back  that 
the  surgeon  would  see  Stover  in  the  medicine  tent. 
The  frontiersman  had  to  wait  quarter  of  an  hour 
here  ere  the  medical  man  showed  himself. 
186 


A   HEARING   BEFORE   GENERAL  SCOTT    1 87 

In  a  few  brief  words  Poke  explained  the  situa- 
tion. 

"  It's  rough  on  Radbury,"  returned  the  medical 
man.  "  But  Lieutenant  Ford  won't  be  able  to  ap- 
pear at  the  court  martial,  nor  can  he  give  any 
testimony  here.  He's  unconscious,  and  we'll  do 
well  to  save  his  life." 

"  And  if  he  does  recover,  how  long  will  it  take 
—  I  mean  before  he  can  talk  ?  " 

"  That  is  hard  to  say  —  perhaps  two  or  three 
weeks,  unless  he  has  a  bad  attack  of  fever." 

This  was  all  the  satisfaction  Poke  could  get 
from  the  head  surgeon,  and  he  thanked  the  medi- 
cal man  for  his  kindness  and  withdrew.  His  face 
was  exceedingly  sober  as  he  went  to  his  tent. 

It  was  not  long  before  he  learned  that  Dan  was 
to  have  only  another  informal  hearing  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning.  Hopeful  of  getting  more  testi- 
mony against  PelHngham  and  Bracer,  the  old 
frontiersman  watched  them  closely. 

But  this  was  useless.  The  evil-doers  kept  apart 
purposely,  and  not  a  word  was  dropped  by  either, 
in  Poke's  hearing,  concerning  the  plot  against  Dan. 

Once  when  Poke  was  close  to  where  Bracer  was 
sitting,  smoking  a  pipe  and  cutting  a  stick  with 
his  knife,  the  rascal  looked  up  suddenly  and 
scowled  darkly. 


1 88  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  Say  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  I  want  to  talk  to  you." 

"  Fire  away,"  returned  the  old  frontiersman 
laconically. 

"  What  makes  you  hang  around  me  so  much  ? " 

"  Do  you  think  I'm  hanging  around  ?" 

"I  do." 

"  Reckon  I  have  a  right  to  walk  where  I  please 
in  this  camp." 

"Ain't  got  no  right  to  spy  on  me." 

"  Don't  you  think  you  need  spying  on,  Bracer  ?  " 

"Me?     What  for?" 

"  For  the  trick  you  played  on  Dan  Radbury." 

At  this  Jack  Bracer  leaped  to  his  feet. 

"  See  here,  I  won't  stand  this,"  he  blustered. 

"  Then  sit  down  ag'in,"  answered  Poke,  coolly. 

"  You  ain't  got  no  right  to  talk  to  me  in  this 
fashion." 

"  I've  got  a  right  to  tell  the  truth,  Bracer." 

"  But  you  ain't  tellin'  it  when  you  say  I  played 
a  trick  on  Radbury.  I  ain't  been  near  him  for  a 
long  time,  and  he  knows  it." 

"  You  and  Pellingham  played  that  trick  on  him 
the  night  he  was  on  picket-duty,  and  I'm  going  to 
prove  it." 

"  How  are  you  goin'  to  prove  it  ?  You  wasn't 
— "  Bracer  was  going  to  say,  "  You  wasn't 
there,"   but  he  stopped  himself. 


A   HEARING  BEFORE    GENERAL   SCOTT   1 89 

"  I  wasn't  what  ?  "  demanded  the  old  frontiers- 
man. 

"  Never  mind.  You  can't  hatch  up  a  game  on 
me,  that's  all.  I  can  prove  where  I  was  that 
night." 

How  long  this  wordy  war  would  have  kept  up 
it  is  hard  to  say.  Poke  was  so  angry  he  felt  like 
leaping  on  the  rascal  and  giving  him  a  sound 
thrashing.  But  just  then  Bracer  was  called  away 
to  do  picket  duty,  so  the  pair  were  compelled  to 
separate. 

In  the  meantime  Dan  was  having  anything  but 
a  happy  time  of  it.  The  guard-tent  was  not  large, 
and  there  were  now  three  prisoners  besides  him- 
self, one  who  was  drunk,  one  who  had  started 
a  fierce  hand-to-hand  fight  with  the  cook  of  his 
company  for  getting  some  burnt  meat,  and  one 
who  was  suffering  from  an  acute  spell  of  home- 
sickness. 

The  last  named  case  was  truly  pitiable  and  was 
not  a  rarity.  The  soldier  was  young,  —  not  over 
twenty-two,  — and  had  never  before  been  away  from 
his  country  home,  which  was  in  Pennsylvania. 
The  spell  of  homesickness  had  come  on  him  the 
day  before,  and  he  had  announced  to  all  his  friends 
that  he  was  going  home  to  see  his  father  and 
mother  whether  his  superior  officer  would  let  him 


190  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

go  or  not.  He  had  been  arrested  on  trying  to 
walk  away  out  of  the  lines,  and  now  he  sat  on  a 
box,  wringing  his  hands  and  talking  to  himself. 

"  I  want  to  go  home,  I  tell  you,"  he  murmured. 
"  I  want  to  see  home  and  my  father  and  mother. 
I'll  come  back  again  if  only  you'll  let  me  see 
them,  just  for  one  day.  I'm  sick  all  over,  want- 
ing to  see  them."  And  thus  he  kept  on,  until  the 
words  fairly  made  Dan's  ears  ache.  Dan  had 
heard  of  such  cases  before,  and  had  even  heard  of 
one  soldier  who  had  shot  himself  because  he  could 
not  get  a  furlough  to  go  and  see  his  wife,  whom 
he  had  not  visited  for  two  years. 

"  See  here,  Hallett,"  he  said,  kindly,  sitting  down 
by  the  man  and  taking  his  hand.  "  I  wouldn't 
•go  on  so.  Brace  up  and  be  a  man.  Perhaps 
they'll  let  you  go  later  on." 

But  Hallett  shook  his  head.  "  I  want  to  go 
now,"  he  murmured.  "  I  can't  wait.  If  only 
they'll  let  me  go  now  I'll  come  right  back,  sure. 
I  only  want  to  spend  one  night  home.  Wasn't 
you  ever  homesick  ?  " 

"Indeed,  yes.  But  not  lately.  The  spells  used 
to  come  over  me  when  I  was  down  on  the  Rio 
Grande  under  Taylor.  Once  I  felt  like  running 
away,  but  I  worked  the  spell  off  by  going  and 
chopping  wood.     I  chopped  until  I  could  scarcely 


A    HEARING  BEFORE    GENERAL   SCOTT   191 

stand,  and  then  I  was  glad  enough  to  lie  down 
and  go  to  sleep,  and  the  next  morning  the  spell 
was  gone." 

At  these  words  Hallett  looked  more  hopeful. 
"  How  many  cords  did  you  chop  up  ?  " 

"I  don't  know  —  but  it  was  a  big  pile,  I  can 
tell  you  that,  and  I  sweat  like  all  creation." 

"  Hang  me  if  I  don't  go  to  work ! "  the  home- 
sick man  exclaimed,  and  ran  to  the  door  of  the 
tent.  He  called  for  the  sergeant  of  the  guard 
and  told  that  officer  he  wanted  hard  work  to  do. 
"Want  to  work  off  this  spell  of  homesickness." 

"Reckon  you  want  to  run  away,"  said  the 
sergeant,  cautiously. 

"You  can  watch  me.  Only  make  me  work 
hard.  Radbury  says  that's  a  cure,  and  I  want 
to  be  cured,  or  I'll  do  something  desperate." 

"  It  is  a  cure,"  said  the  sergeant.  "  Come  with 
me." 

He  took  the  soldier  away  and  set  him  to  work 
digging  a  long  trench  around  the  colonel's  head- 
quarters. Three  soldiers  were  set  to  watch  the 
homesick  man,  and  the  way  in  which  he  pitched  in 
was  truly  astonishing  and  soon  collected  a  crowd 
of  sightseers.  For  five  hours  Hallett  worked  with- 
out stopping,  and  then  he  fell  exhausted.  He  was 
restored  and  put  to  bed,  and  sure  enough,  in  the 


192  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

morning  his  spell  of  homesickness  was  past.  It 
may  be  added  here  that  not  long  after  that  he 
was  wounded  in  the  leg  and  invalided  home,  and 
by  the  time  he  was  well  again  the  war  was  at  an 
end. 

Dan  wondered  why  he  did  not  get  word  from 
Poke,  and  also  from  Lieutenant  Ford,  and  the 
evening  and  night  proved  long  and  tedious  to  him. 
During  the  darkness  it  rained  heavily,  and  this 
added  to  his  misery. 

At  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  was  called 
into  the  general's  tent  for  a  hearing.  This  was 
before  Scott  himself,  and  the  general  listened 
calmly  to  what  he  had  to  say. 

"  It  is  a  most  unusual  story,"  said  Scott.  "  Call 
private  Stover  and  Lieutenant  Ford." 

"  Lieutenant  Ford  is  in  the  hospital,"  was  the 
announcement  from  the  officer  who  had  brought 
Dan  in. 

"  What  is  the  trouble  ?  " 

"  He  was  hit  with  a  piece  of  shell  and  is  in 
a  critical  condition.  He  has  not  been  conscious 
since  he  was  struck  down." 

This  news  filled  Dan  with  dismay,  and  he  hardly 
brightened  when  Poke  came  forward  and  saluted. 
General  Scott  questioned  the  old  frontiersman 
closely. 


A   HEARING   BEFORE    GENERAL   SCOTT   1 93 

A  little  while  later  Pellingham  and  Bracer  were 
ordered  to  appear.  The  dandy  came  in  looking 
very  nervous,  while  Bracer  had  a  set  expression 
far  from  pleasant. 

"  Pellingham  and  Bracer,  Radbury  charged  you 
with  carrying  him  off  on  the  night  he  was  absent 
from  his  post  on  the  picket-line,"  said  General 
Scott.  "  Pellingham,  you  may  speak  first.  What 
have  you  to  say  ? " 

"  I  say  it  isn't  so." 

"  You  deny  the  charge  totally  ?  " 

"  I  do,  sir." 

"  What  have  you  to  say,  Bracer? " 

"This  is  a  total  surprise  to  me,"  was  the  man's 
cold  answer.  "  I  never  went  near  Radbury  on 
that  night.     I  was  in  my  tent." 

"  He  doesn't  tell  the  truth,  general !  "  burst  out 
Poke,  unable  to  contain  his  anger.  "  I  heard  him 
talk  the  thing  over  with  Pellingham.  If  Lef- 
tenant  Ford  was  here  he'd  prove  it,  too." 

General  Scott  put  up  his  hand  for  silence.  "I 
have  heard  your  story,  Stover,"  he  said.  "  I  am 
now  questioning  Bracer." 

"  It's  a  plot  hatched  up  to  git  me  into  trouble," 
went  on  Bracer.  "  I  admit  I'm  no  friend  of  Rad- 
bury, but  I  didn't  do  this  thing,  and  I  don't  think 
Pellingham  did  it  either.     Radbury  used  to  be  a 


194  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

sport  before  he  joined  the  army,  and  used  to  know- 
lots  of  Mexican  gamblers.  I  think  he  slipped  away 
to  meet  some  of  his  old  friends  down  around  Vera 
Cruz,"  added  Bracer,  significantly. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 
dan's  quick  move 

Dan  was  as  much  surprised  as  anybody  at 
Bracer's  words. 

"  It  is  false,  every  word  of  it  !  "  he  cried,  as  soon 
as  he  could  speak.  "  I  never  gambled,  and  I  never 
had  any  such  friends  as  he  mentions." 

"  This  is  plainly  a  case  of  contradictory  evi- 
dence," said  General  Scott,  after  a  painful  pause. 
"  There  are  two  against  two.  I  think  I  will 
have  to  let  the  matter  drop  until  I  can  hear  from 
Lieutenant  Ford.  Stover,  Pellingham,  and  Bracer 
may  retire." 

The  three  mentioned  saluted  and  marched  from 
the  headquarters.  Then  General  Scott  turned  to 
Dan. 

"  Radbury,  if  I  give  you  your  liberty  for  the 
present,  what  will  you  do  ? "  he  asked,  in  a  voice 
that  was  almost  friendly. 

"  Do  my  whole  duty  as  a  soldier,  sir,"  was  the 
quick  reply.     "  I  have  always  tried  to  do  that,  and 
I  always  will  try  to  do  it." 
*95 


I96  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  Then  you  can  join  your  company  once  more, 
and  we  will  let  this  matter  drop  until  Lieutenant 
Ford  recovers  sufficiently  to  give  his  testimony." 

"Thank  you,  general,  for  your  kindness.  I  am 
willing  to  stand  by  what  Lieutenant  Ford  may 
say." 

There  was  a  pause,  but  General  Scott  said  no 
more,  and  saluting,  Dan  marched  out  after  the 
others.  On  the  parade-ground  he  was  joined  by 
Poke.  In  the  meantime  Pellingham  and  Bracer 
had  disappeared. 

"  I'm  on  parole  until  Lieutenant  Ford  can 
testify,"  said  the  young  soldier,  in  reply  to  his  old 
friend's  anxious  inquiry. 

"  Good  enough,  Dan.  If  the  leftenant  recovers, 
you're  as  good  as  cleared." 

"  Exactly,  and  by  the  same  token,  as  McManus 
would  say,  Pellingham  and  Bracer  will  be  found 
guilty." 

"  We'll  have  to  watch  'em  closely,  Dan.  They 
are  boiling  mad  —  at  least  Bracer  is.  Pellingham 
is  too  much  of  a  coward  to  be  a  big  villain." 

"  I  think  they  are  as  much  down  on  you  now  as 
they  are  on  me,  Poke." 

"I  suppose  thet's  so.  Well,  I  ain't  afraid  o' 
'em.  If  they  don't  keep  their  distance  somebody 
will  git    a   broken    head  —  and    it    won't  be    me, 


DAN'S  QUICK  MOVE  1 97 

nuther !  "  And  the  old  frontiersman  shook  his 
head  determinedly. 

Vera  Cruz  had  now  been  under  fire  for  six  days, 
and  the  bombardment  was  destined  to  continue  two 
days  longer  ere  the  city  should  capitulate.  So 
far  over  fifty  houses  and  other  buildings  had  been 
smashed  by  our  guns  and  several  hundred  lives  had 
been  lost.  Now  the  bombardment  broke  forth 
with  renewed  fury,  and  all  day  long  the  hail  of 
death  rained  down  on  the  city,  driving  soldiers  and 
citizens  from  one  shelter  to  another.  Women  and 
children  fled  to  cellars  and  holes  in  the  ground,  but 
even  this  did  not  always  protect  them.  In  one 
instance  a  shell  burst  into  a  cellar  by  way  of  an 
open  window,  and  through  this  six  lives  were  lost. 
In  another  case  a  cannon-ball  found  its  way  into  a 
well,  and  dropping  on  the  head  of  an  old  woman, 
cracked  her  skull  like  an  egg-shell.  It  was  a  time 
to  "  try.  men's  souls,"  and  the  defenders  of  the 
doomed  city  must  be  given  all  credit  for  the  brave 
manner  in  which  they  undertook  their  duty. 

Out  on  the  city  walls  the  scenes  were  both 
thrilling  and  tragic.  In  one  instance  four  Mexi- 
can gunners  were  shot  down  one  after  another 
while  trying  to  fire  off  a  cannon,  and  just  after 
another  gunner  discharged  the  piece,  a  cannon-ball 
from  our  lines  hit  the  Mexican  weapon  and  knocked 


198  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

it  apart.  Once  a  company  of  Mexican  soldiers  were 
crossing  a  bridge  from  one  part  of  the  wall  to 
another,  when  a  shell  came  down  between  the 
men,  killing  and  wounding  nine  of  them.  Thus 
the  work  of  carnage  went  on. 

But  as  said  before,  for  the  privates  in  our  ranks 
there  was  but  little  to  do,  although  the  commands 
were  held  in  readiness,  should  the  Mexicans  in 
Vera  Cruz  become  desperate  and  attempt  to  break 
out  and  flee  toward  Mexico  City. 

Late  that  afternoon  found  Poke  in  the  trenches 
as  before,  on  the  alert  for  any  movement  which 
might  be  ordered.  Not  far  away  was  Jack  Bracer, 
also  on  duty.  Slightly  to  the  rear  was  Dan,  like- 
wise on  guard. 

Bracer  did  not  know  that  Dan  was  in  the  vicin- 
ity. His  gaze  was  fixed  on  Poke  and  it  was  easy 
to  see  that  he  was  in  an  ugly  frame  of  mind. 
Without  appearing  to  do  so  he  gradually  drew 
closer  to  the  old  frontiersman. 

"  I'll  wager  he  is  up  to  no  good,"  said  Dan  to  him- 
self. "He  is  going  to  get  square  on  Poke  if  he 
can." 

The  noise  of  the  bombardment  was  now  terrific, 
and  several  shells  had  already  fallen  in  that  vicinity, 
one  of  which  threw  a  cloud  of  dust  in  the  young 
soldier's  face. 


DAN'S  QUICK  MOVE  1 99 

When  he  had  cleared  his  eyes,  Dan  saw  that 
Jack  Bracer  was  closer  than  ever  to  Poke.  He 
had  his  gun  in  hand,  and  now  the  piece  was  levelled 
at  the  old  frontiersman's  head  ! 

"  My  stars  !  He  can't  be  wanting  to  shoot  Poke 
in  cold  blood !  "  muttered  Dan,  and  leaped  along 
the  trench  in  the  rear  of  the  rascal.  Looking 
around  hastily,  he  saw  that  no  other  soldiers  were 
just  then  in  sight. 

Bracer  had  dropped  his  gun  once  more  and  was 
looking  skyward  and  toward  Vera  Cruz.  Evidently 
he  was  watching  for  some  shell  that  might  land  in 
that  vicinity  and  explode.  Then  he  would  fire  his 
gun,  and  if  Poke  was  struck  he  would  blame  the 
shell  for  the  deed.  He  was  a  good  shot  and  could 
easily  hit  Poke  in  the  neck  without  allowing  the 
bullet  to  remain  in  'the  frontiersman's  body. 

At  last,  when  Dan  was  still  several  yards  to  the 
rear,  a  shell  came  whining  along,  to  fall  not  over 
a  hundred  feet  from  where  Poke  was  crouching. 
As  quick  as  a  flash  Bracer's  gun  came  up  again 
and  the  rascal  pulled  the  trigger. 

Had  the  bullet  gone  as  intended,  Poke  would 
undoubtedly  have  received  an  ugly,  if  not  a  fatal 
wound  in  the  neck.  But  on  the  instant  the  trigger 
came  down  Dan  reached  over  and  knocked  the 
gun-barrel  up,  and  the  bullet  passed  into  the  air. 


200  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  You  villain ! "  cried  the  young  soldier,  and 
without  waiting  to  think  twice,  hit  Bracer  in  the 
face,  a  blow  that  loosened  two  teeth  and  made  the 
jnan  fall  flat. 

Before  Bracer  could  recover,  Poke  turned 
around,  for  he  had  caught  Dan's  words.  He 
came  running  up,  gun  in  hand. 

"  Did  he  attack  ye  ?  "  he  questioned. 

"  No,  but  he  was  going  to  shoot  you,"  answered 
Dan. 

"  Me  ? " 

"  Yes.  He  fired  on  you  just  after  that  shell 
came  down.  But  I  knocked  up  the  gun-barrel,  so 
the  bullet  went  over  your  head." 

"  It  ain't  so  !  "  spluttered  Bracer,  crawling  to 
his  feet.      "  I  didn't  fire  at  Stover  at  all." 

"  You  did  —  your  musket  is  still  smoking." 

"I  — I  aimed  at  the  bushes  over  yonder.  I  — 
I  thought  I  saw  a  Mexican  sharpshooter  there," 
went  on  the  rascal,  lamely. 

"I  believe  Dan!"  roared  Poke,  savagely. 
"An'  fer  two  pins  I'd  put  a  ball  through  ye, 
Bracer.  Ye  ain't  fit  to  live,  consarn  ye  !  "  And 
he  raised  his  own  weapon  threateningly. 

"  Don't !  don't !  "  screamed  Bracer,  falling  on 
his  knees.  "  I  swear  I  didn't  mean  to  hit  you. 
It's  all  a  mistake.     Please  don't  shoot  me !  " 


DAN'S   QUICK  MOVE  201 

He  held  up  his  hands  pleadingly,  and  the  old 
frontiersman  lowered  his  musket.  But  there  was 
a  dangerous  glitter  in  his  eyes. 

"  I  wouldn't  shoot  him,"  said  Dan.  "  Let  the 
colonel  take  hold  of  the  case. 

"What  can  ye  do,  lad  ?  Bracer  here  will  say 
that  it's  only  another  plot  against  him." 

"  Never  mind,  Poke.  If  you  shoot  him  they 
will  arrest  you,  —  and  nobody  will  take  my  word, 
now,"  added  Dan,  bitterly. 

"  I'm  going  back  to  camp  ;  I'm  sick,"  announced 
Bracer,  suddenly,  and  without  waiting  for  more 
words  he  hurried  away. 

The  evil-doer  was  thoroughly  alarmed,  for  he 
was  afraid  Poke  might  kill  him  on  the  spot. 
When  he  reached  camp  he  began  to  stagger,  and 
told  an  officer  that  the  sun  had  affected  his  head. 
He  was  sent  to  the  doctor,  and  soon  after  this  the 
medical  man  gave  him  a  cot  in  the  hospital. 

While  in  the  hospital  Bracer  felt  safe  from  any 
attack  Poke  might  contemplate,  but  this  feeling  of 
security  soon  gave  way  to  a  new  fear. 

From  one  of  the  attendants  whom  he  questioned 
he  learned  that  Lieutenant  Ford  had  taken  a 
rapid  turn  for  the  better,  and  the  surgeon  in  charge 
of  the  officer  promised  a  complete  recovery  in  the 
near  future.     More  than  this,  while  only  half  con- 


202  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

scious,  the  lieutenant  had  talked  in  a  rambling 
fashion  of  what  he  and  Poke  had  overheard  of  the 
talk  between  Bracer  and  Pellingham. 

"  What  Stover  said  at  the  hearing  must  be 
true,"  said  Bracer,  to  himself,  with  something  of 
an  inward  groan.  "  And  if  it  is  true,  I've  got  my- 
self in  the  biggest  kind  of  a  hole,  and  so  has 
Pellingham.  More  than  likely  Pelly  will  break 
down  when  he  is  cornered,  and  of  course  he'll  try  to 
lay  all  the  blame  on  me.  Reckon  the  best  thing 
I  can  do  is  to  leave  the  army  the  first  chance  I  get, 
and  tell  nobody  where  I  am  going.  The  place  is 
getting  too  hot  to  hold  me." 

And  then  he  set  about  perfecting  his  plans  for 
deserting. 


CHAPTER   XXII 

IN  THE  STREETS  OF  VERA  CRUZ 

Despite  the  cloud  hanging  over  him,  Dan  felt 
much  lighter  in  heart  after  Bracer  was  disposed  of 
and  he  heard  the  fellow  was  in  the  hospital. 

"  I  think  he'll  be  more  careful  in  the  future," 
said  the  young  soldier. 

He  noticed  that  Dwight  Pellingham  kept  his 
distance  and  even  tried  to  get  out  of  sight. 

The  truth  was,  Pellingham  was  growing  more 
scared  every  minute,  fearing  Lieutenant  Ford  would 
recover  and  expose  him. 

"  If  only  I  was  back  home  again  !  "  the  fop  told 
himself,  over  and  over  again.  "  What  a  fool  I  was 
to  join  the  army  !  " 

On  the  last  day  of  the  bombardment  of  Vera 
Cruz,  the  command  to  which  Dan  was  assigned 
moved  -down  to  the  edge  of  the  gulf,  to  protect 
several  war-ships  landing  men  and  ammunition. 

The  task  was  a  perilous  one,  for  the  Mexicans 
had  the  spot  covered  with  two  of  their  heaviest 
203 


204  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

guns,  and  it  was  only  the  poor  aim  of  the  gunners 
that  kept  our  soldiers  comparatively  safe. 

General  Scott  was  anxious  to  capture  Vera  Cruz 
without  the  loss  of  any  more  time.  As  said  be- 
fore, the  city  lay  on  the  sandy  plain,  with  the 
mountains  far  behind  it,  and  this  was  an  excellent 
spot  for  fevers  and  other  sicknesses.  To  keep 
troops  there  for  any  length  of  time  would  be  very 
unwise,  so  the  cry  was,  "  Capture  Vera  Cruz  and 
then  take  at  once  to  the  higher  ground  leading  to 
Mexico  City." 

The  noise  of  the  bombardment  was  deafening, 
and  shot  and  shell  fell  again  in  all  directions.  But 
our  soldiers  did  their  duty  nobly,  Dan  with  the 
others,  and  Poke  not  far  away. 

A  boat  load  of  soldiers  were  just  landing  on  the 
beach  when  a  shell  came  in  that  direction,  striking 
the  sand  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  away  and  rolling 
toward  the  boat  load.  The  fuse  was  burning  and 
it  looked  as  if  the  shell  would  explode  in  less  than 
a  second  more.  It  rolled  up  to  the  edge  of  a  pile 
of  ammunition  and  there  came  to  a  stop. 

"  Look  out !  "  was  the  cry,  and  while  some  sol- 
diers fled,  others  threw  themselves  flat. 

The  shell  came  to  within  two  feet  of  where  Dan 
stood,  and  for  just  the  fraction  of  a  second  the 
young  soldier  was  too  paralyzed  to  budge  an  inch, 


IN   THE    STREETS  OF   VERA    CRUZ        205 

he  having  a  swift  vision  of  the  horrible  thing  ex- 
ploding and  tearing  him  into  a  hundred  pieces. 

Then,  by  instinct  more  than  reason,  he  put  out 
his  foot  and  gave  the  shell  one  swift  kick  which 
sent  it  rolling  into  the  waters  of  the  gulf.  This 
done,  he  fell  flat,  expecting  the  thing  to  go  off  any- 
way, since  the  fuse  had  burnt  itself  to  the  inside. 

But  several  seconds  passed  and  the  shell  failed 
to  go  off.  Dan  gradually  raised  his  head  and  looked 
into  the  running  waves.  The  shell  was  out  of  sight. 
A  minute  went  by. 

"  It  —  it's  gone  ! "  he  muttered,  hoarsely. 

"  You  are  right,  Radbury, "  came  from  a  soldier 
standing  near.  "  By  Jove  !  I  expected  we'd  all  be 
blown  to  bits  ! " 

«  So  did  I." 

"  It  was  a  brave  thing  to  do." 

"Sure  an'  it  was  brave,"  came  from  Corporal 
Tim  McManus,  who  was  also  near.  "  It's  Dan 
that's  a  brave  b'y,  ivery  inch  av  him  ! "  And  he 
clapped  the  young  soldier  on  the  back. 

Soon  the  captain  of  the  command  hurried  up 
and  was  told  of  what  Dan  had  done. 

"You  ran  a  big  risk,  Radbury,"  he  said,  "It 
was  indeed  brave.  If  the  shell  had  gone  off  it 
would  have  played  the  Old  Harry  with  this  ammu- 
nition.    Boys,  you  must  cart  it  farther  away  with- 


206  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

out  delay."  And  this  was  done,  and  soon  the 
command  was  once  more  out  of  range  of  the  Mex- 
ican guns. 

Dwight  Pellingham  had  viewed  the  affair  from  a 
distance,  and  it  made  him  feel  sore  to  see  the  sol- 
diers cluster  around  Dan  and  praise  him  for  what 
he  had  done. 

"  He  always  comes  out  on  top,"  he  mused,  dis- 
mally. "And  I  come  out  at  the  bottom.  It's 
mighty  queer.  I  spend  three  times  as  much  money 
as  he  does,  too."  Dwight  had  still  to  learn  that 
money  is  not  everything  in  this  world. 

At  last  the  fighting  came  to  an  end,  and  the 
Mexican  commander  within  the  city  sent  word 
that  he  was  willing  to  make  terms.  Vera  Cruz 
had  been  literally  torn  up  from  end  to  end,  and  the 
wreckage  in  the  highways  was  enough  to  turn  the 
strongest  heart  to  sadness.  Boys  and  girls  had  suf- 
fered as  well  as  the  older  persons,  and  one  of  the 
most  touching  sights  Dan  saw  when  the  troops 
marched  through  the  gate  and  into  Vera  Cruz, 
were  the  bodies  of  a  brother  and  a  sister  who 
were  found,  killed  by  a  cannon-ball,  while  carrying 
a  bucket  of  water  across  a  courtyard.  In  another 
spot  a  Mexican  woman  was  found  slain  in  her 
home  by  a  shell,  a  baby  clasped  tightly  in  her 
arms. 


IN    THE    STREETS  OF   VERA    CRUZ         207 

"  It's  more  than  sickening,"  whispered  Dan  to 
Poke.     "  Oh,  why  must  men  fight  at  all  ?  " 

"  It's  in  'em,  that's  why,"  returned  the  old  fron- 
tiersman. "  Been  in  'em  ever  since  Cain  killed 
Abel,  I  reckon.  But  I  allow  as  how  big  nations 
ought  to  settle  disputes  without  slaughterin'  folks 
like  this." 

The  Mexican  army  surrendered  on  the  plain  be- 
fore the  city,  and  then  our  troops  marched  within 
the  walls  and  took  possession  of  the  various  public 
buildings.  The  command  to  which  Dan  belonged 
was  stationed  in  a  long  hall  which  had  once  been 
something  of  a  public  market. 

"  I  wonder  if  we'll  find  any  trace  here  of  Jose 
Toletto  and  Juan  the  Giant,"  remarked  Dan  to 
Poke,  after  the  duty  for  the  day  was  done  and  they 
were  taking  it  easy  in  the  wide  casement  of  a  low 
window. 

"  Might  take  a  hunt  around.  It  wouldn't  be 
strange  fer  'em  to  come  this  way." 

It  was  not  without  considerable  trouble  that  Dan 
and  Poke  obtained  permission  to  make  a  hunt  for 
Toletto  and  Badillo.  They  took  with  them  an  old 
Mexican  who  could  talk  for  them,  for  in  Vera  Cruz 
English  was  almost  unknown. 

From  one  locality  they  passed  to  another.  So 
far  no  trace  of  the  evil-doers  had  been  found,  and 


208  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

at  the  end  of  two  hours  Dan  was  about  ready 
to  give  up  the  hunt. 

"They  must  have  gone  elsewhere,"  he  said  to 
his  companions. 

"  We  try  de  Casa  Amorant,"  said  the  Mexican 
guide.  "  Dat  is  de  great  place  for  de  hoss  deal- 
ers," and  they  walked  to  the  resort  mentioned,  a 
low  drinking-place. 

There  was  just  now  little  doing  in  the  re- 
sort and  the  proprietor  readily  consented  to 
tell  all  he  knew.  Yes,  he  had  seen  Jose  Toletto 
just  before  the  bombardment,  and  Toletto  had 
had  a  stranger  with  him,  a  big  fellow  called 
Juan. 

"We  are  on  the  right  track  at  last,"  cried  Dan, 
his  face  brightening.  "  Can  you  tell  us  what  be- 
came of  the  men  ? " 

When  this  question  was  translated  to  the  land- 
lord he  shook  his  head. 

"  They  leave  town,"  he  said,  in  Spanish.  "They 
went  on  horseback." 

"  Alone  ? " 

"  No,  they  went  with  a  horse  dealer  called  Jum- 
bell.  All  those  at  the  gates  know  Jumbell,  and 
they  will  know  something  of  him  and  those  who 
were  with  him." 

"  Well,    that's    something   learned,"  said    Dan. 


IN    THE   STREETS   OF   VERA    CRUZ        209 

"  Let  us  visit  the  various  gates  and  see  if  we  can 
learn  more." 

Poke  was  willing  and  they  set  off  immediately, 
the  guide  taking  them  by  the  most  direct  route. 
This  rendered  it  necessary  to  pass  through  more 
than  one  street  which  was  little  better  than  an 
alley,  with  dirty  houses  set  close  together  on 
either  side. 

It  was  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  Mexicans  in 
the  city  would  prove  very  hospitable  to  those  who 
had  conquered  them,  yet  those  in  the  public  places 
treated  the  soldiers  fairly  well.  But  here  in  the 
byways  it  was  different,  and  more  than  once  Dan 
saw  a  pair  of  ugly  eyes  dart  bitter  hatred  at  them 
as  they  progressed. 

"  We  want  to  look  out  for  treachery,"  he  whis- 
pered to  the  old  frontiersman.  "  These  people 
would  think  it  no  crime  to  butcher  a  couple  of 
Yankee  soldiers." 

"  Right  you  are,  Dan,"  was  the  equally  guarded 
answer.  "  Reckon  as  how  we  should  have  told  that 
Mexican  to  keep  to  the  public  streets." 

"  Let  us  tell  him  now." 

"  No,  wait  until  we  are  out  of  this  hole.  We 
don't  want  to  excite  suspicion.  If  you  show 
you  are  scared,  they  may  pounce  on  you  in  a 
minit." 


210  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

This  was  good  advice,  and  so  nothing  was  said 
to  the  guide.  Yet  as  they  went  forward  each  kept 
his  hand  on  his  gun,  ready  to  use  it  at  once  should 
the  occasion  arise. 

Beyond  them  was  a  turn  in  the  alley,  and  here 
were  located  two  drinking-places  of  the  vilest 
description.  A  score  of  dirty  men  and  women 
were  congregated  at  the  entrances,  and  they 
started  to  hiss  the  moment  our  friends  showed 
themselves. 

"  Stop  !  We  won't  go  that  way,"  cried  Dan,  to 
the  guide,  in  a  low  voice. 

At  this  the  Mexican  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  I  think  the  Yankees  brave,"  he  said,  with  a 
suggestive  look  in  his  dark  eyes. 

"  We  are  brave,  but  we  ain't  fools,"  came  from 
Poke.  "  Show  us  another  way  out  o'  this  hole,  — 
an'  be  quick  about  it." 

"There  is  a  large  street  just  beyond  the  turn," 
answered  the  Mexican. 

As  he  spoke  he  pointed  with  his  hand.  They 
looked  in  the  direction,  and  as  quick  as  a  flash  the 
Mexican  darted  into  a  near-by  doorway  and  disap- 
peared. 

"  He  has  left  us  !  "  ejaculated  Dan.  "  He  has 
played  us  a  trick  !  " 

"  Here  comes  that  crowd  down  on  us ! "   came 


IN   THE   STREETS  OF   VERA    CRUZ        211 

from  Poke.  "  And  another  crowd  is  coming  from 
behind.  Dan,  my  lad,  we  are  hemmed  in.  It 
looks  like  we'd  have  to  fight  for  it,  sure,  an' 
fight  hard ! " 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

DWIGHT    PELLINGHAM'S    CONFESSION 

Dan  did  not  learn  until  long  after  that  the  Mexi- 
can had  indeed  played  them  a  trick,  and  that  in 
a  manner  least  suspected  by  himself  and  Poke 
Stover. 

At  the  Casa  Amorant  the  so-styled  guide  had 
seen  a  comrade  whom  he  could  trust,  and  he  had 
immediately  despatched  this  fellow  to  the  present 
neighborhood  with  word  that  he  was  coming  with 
two  American  soldiers  who  carried  with  them  more 
or  less  silver,  —  for  he  had  seen  both  Dan  and 
Poke  counting  over  their  pocket  money. 

To  have  brought  two  hated  Yankees  to  grief 
would  have  been  joy  enough  to  the  frequenters  of 
the  two  resorts,  but  to  catch  a  pair  who  might  have 
the  price  of  considerable  liquor  in  their  possession 
was  hailed  with  keen  satisfaction. 

"We  will  show  them  they  have  no  right  in 
Vera  Cruz !  "  said  a  leader  called  Beppo.  "  We 
will  teach  them  a  lesson." 


"  THEY    DARTED    INTO    THE    OPEN    DOORWAY 


D  WIGHT  PELLINGHAM'S  CONFESSION    213 

"  Shoot  them  down  !  "  cried  another. 

"  No,  no  !  do  not  shoot  them,"  put  in  a  third. 
"  Knife  them.  It  is  not  so  loud,  and  therefore 
safer." 

"  Matello  is  right ;  knife  them,"  came  from  sev- 
eral others,  and  then  the  wretched  women  took  up 
the  refrain : 

"  Knife  them  !  Knife  the  dogs  of  Ameri- 
canos ! " 

As  the  crowd  came  closer,  Dan  and  Poke  heard 
the  words  distinctly,  and  understood  enough  to 
know  that  the  Mexicans  intended,  if  possible,  to 
kill  them. 

"  We  can't  fight  them  from  the  front  and  the 
rear  too,"  said  Dan,  in  reply  to  Poke's  words. 

"There  is  a  doorway  opposite.  Let  us  enter 
that  house." 

Without  stopping  to  think  twice,  they  dashed 
across  the  narrow  alleyway.  As  they  did  so  a 
stone  came  crashing  down  from  a  flat  roof,  grazing 
the  young  soldier's  shoulder. 

He  looked  up  and  saw  a  man  peering  down  at 
them.  He  was  about  to  fire  when  Poke  caught 
his  arm. 

"  Might  need  the  shot  later  on,"  said  the  old 
frontiersman.     "  In  ye  go." 

They  darted  into  the  open  doorway  and  to  a 


214  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

dark  room  beyond.  There  was  a  heavy  door  and 
this  they  closed.     But  the  door  could  not  be  locked. 

"  What  want  you  here  ?  "  came  in  Spanish  and 
in  the  shrill  voice  of  a  woman,  and  of  a  sudden 
she  flew  at  Poke  and  caught  him  by  the  beard  and 
the  hair. 

She  was  not  very  strong,  and  he  threw  her  off 
with  ease  and  then  darted  through  the  room  to  an 
open  court  in  the  rear.  Dan  followed,  and  in  the 
light  both  paused  once  more. 

"  Which  way  now  ? "  asked  the  young  soldier,  as 
they  threw  quick  glances  in  half  a  dozen  direc- 
tions. 

"  Follow  me,"  answered  the  old  frontiersman. 

He  had  noted  an  open  window  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  courtyard,  with  another  window  lead- 
ing to  a  street  running  parallel  to  the  alleyway. 
Soon  he  was  at  the  window,  and  he  leaped  into 
another  room,  almost  as  dark  as  the  first,  but 
much  larger. 

Crack !  went  a  pistol,  and  a  bullet  whistled  past 
their  heads.  Where  the  shot  had  come  from,  they 
could  not  tell. 

"  It's  getting  mighty  hot  for  us ! "  muttered 
Dan. 

"  I  see  him,"  answered  Poke,  as  he  turned  back. 
He  had  caught  sight,  through  the  window,  of  the 


D WIGHT  PELLINGHAM'S   CONFESSION    21  5 

treacherous  guide  on  the  top  of  the  house  just  left. 
"  Reckon  I'll  plug  you,"  he  added. 

He  took  quick  aim  and  fired,  and  they  saw  the 
Mexican  drop,  badly,  if  not  fatally,  wounded.  As 
the  shot  rang  out,  a  yell  arose  from  those  in  pur- 
suit, and  now  half  a  dozen  Mexicans  burst  into 
view,  armed  with  pistols,  knives,  and  clubs.  An- 
other shot  was  fired  at  them,  but  this  buried  itself 
in  the  framework  of  the  window. 

Several  steps  landed  Dan  at  the  window  over- 
looking the  highway  just  mentioned.  Here  he 
made  a  discovery  that  sent  a  chill  down  his  back- 
bone.    The  window  was  barred. 

"  We  are  locked  in  ! "  he  ejaculated. 

"Try  those  bars,"  cried  Poke.  "They  don't 
look  overly  strong." 

Dan  caught  at  a  bar,  and  pulled  with  all  of  his 
strength.  It  began  to  loosen  in  the  mortar,  and, 
when  Poke  also  caught  hold,  the  bar  came  out, 
sending  the  crumbling  mortar  in  all  directions. 
They  served  a  second  bar  in  similar  fashion.  The 
hole  was  now  large  enough  for  them  to  slip 
through. 

"  Out  you  go,  an'  be  quick ! "  panted  Poke. 
"  They  are  on  our  heels  !  " 

There  was  no  time  to  argue,  and  Dan  leaped 
forth,  and  the  old  frontiersman   followed.     Soon 


21  6  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

they  were  running  along  the  highway.  Nobody 
came  to  stop  them,  and,  inside  of  five  minutes, 
they  reached  a  street  where  they  felt  they  would 
be  safe.     Then  they  dropped  into  a  walk. 

"  Gracious,  but  that  was  an  experience  I  wouldn't 
want  to  repeat !  "  gasped  Dan,  when  he  could  get 
back  his  breath.  "  They  were  after  us  like  a  pack 
of  wolves." 

"They  ought  to  be  shot  down,  every  consarned 
one  o'  'em,"  came  from  the  old  frontiersman. 

"  Do  you  think  we  had  better  report  this  to 
headquarters,   Poke  ? " 

"  Certainly.  If  we  let  it  pass,  these  wolves  will 
git  bolder  an'  bolder." 

"  But  you  know  the  cloud  I  am  under  already, 
Poke.     Will  they  believe  me  ?  " 

"Whether  they'll  believe  you  or  not,  they've 
got  to  believe  me,"  snorted  the  old  frontiersman. 

They  asked  their  way  back  to  headquarters,  and 
here  sought  out  their  captain,  and  told  their  story. 

"  It  was  a  foolish  move  to  make,  since  we  have 
but  just  taken  possession,"  said  the  captain.  "  Still, 
I'll  look  into  the  affair."  And  he  did,  so  effec- 
tually that  the  whole  neighborhood  where  the 
trouble  had  occurred  was  put  under  strict  guard, 
and  the  low  drinking  resorts  were  closed  up,  and 
the  proprietors  placed  under  arrest. 


D WIGHT  PELLINGHAM'S   CONFESSION    21 J 

It  was  not  until  a  day  later  that  Dan  and  Poke 
got  the  opportunity  of  making  further  inquiries 
concerning  Jose  Toletto  and  Juan  the  Giant,  and 
then,  from  one  of  the  gatekeepers  of  the  town, 
they  learned  that  the  tall  man  and  Toletto  had 
left  Vera  Cruz  the  day  before  General  Scott's 
army  had  arrived,  and  that  Toletto  had  said  some- 
thing about  going  to  Mexico  City  to  claim  some 
money  that  was  coming  to  him  through  the  death 
of  a  relative. 

"  The  rascal !  "  said  Dan,  on  hearing  this.  "  He 
thinks  Inez  Morales  was  drowned,  and  he  is  going 
to  get  her  money.  Won't  he  be  surprised  when 
he  learns  she  is  still  alive  !  " 

"  He  must  certainly  be  a  bad  one,  or  he  wouldn't 
be  travelling  with  a  scoundrel  like  Juan  the  Giant," 
returned  Poke. 

On  the  following  day,  to  Dan's  gratification,  he 
was  placed  on  guard  at  the  hospital.  This  brought 
him  in  contact  with  Lieutenant  Ford,  and  he  was 
more  than  pleased  to  learn  that  the  officer  was 
doing  better  than  the  surgeon  had  anticipated. 
The  lieutenant  was  now  in  his  right  mind,  and 
spoke  freely  of  what  he  and  Poke  had  overheard. 

"  I  can  testify  that  Dwight  Pellingham  and  Jack 
Bracer  are  the  guilty  parties,"  he  said.  "And  I 
know  the  general  will  take  my  word." 


2l8  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

This  being  so,  steps  were  taken  to  place  the  two 
evil-doers  under  arrest.  Bracer  was  already  out 
of  the  hospital,  the  surgeons  being  satisfied  that 
his  sickness  had  been  of  small  consequence,  if, 
indeed,  he  had  not  been  shamming  totally. 

In  some  way  word  got  to  both  Pellingham  and 
Bracer  that  they  were  wanted  at  headquarters, 
and  that  Lieutenant  Ford  had  spoken  against 
them. 

"  The  jig  is  up  !  "  cried  Bracer.  "  I'm  going  to 
quit." 

"  Quit  ? "  faltered  Pellingham,  turning  pale. 
"Are  you  —  you  going  to  give  yourself  up?" 

"  Not  much !  I'm  going  to  light  out.  If  you 
want  to  go  along,  say  so." 

"  But  —  but  where  will  you  go  to  ?  " 

"  I'm  going  to  join  the  Mexican  army.  They 
have  a  few  companies  of  Americans  —  good  fel- 
lows, too,  so  I've  heard.  I'm  going  to  train  with 
them  after  this." 

What  Jack  Bracer  said  was  true.  In  the  Mexi- 
can army  were,  indeed,  several  hundred  men  from 
the  United  States  who  had  thrown  in  their  fortunes 
with  Santa  Anna,  being  assured  of  a  big  reward 
should  Mexico  win  in  the  war.  How  these  traitors 
fared  will  be  learned  later. 

"I  —  I  don't   want    to    go   in  with    the   nasty 


D WIGHT  PELLINGHAM'S   CONFESSION    219 

greasers,"  replied  the  dandy  soldier.  "They 
make  me  sick." 

"  All  right,  then  —  stay  here  and  be  shot,"  re- 
turned Bracer,  briefly.  And  he  at  once  began 
preparations  to  depart. 

But  the  thought  of  being  shot  was  terrifying  to 
Pellingham,  and  when  Bracer  left  the  camp  of  the 
command,  Pellingham  was  with  him. 

The  two  had  determined  to  leave  Vera  Cruz 
under  cover  of  darkness,  and  they  remained  in  an 
out-of-the-way  building  until  almost  eleven  o'clock. 
Then  Bracer  led  the  advance  to  the  city  wall,  and 
ran  for  it,  taking  the  chance  of  being  shot  by  a 
guard. 

Bracer  was  well  in  advance  when  a  shout  arose, 
and  soon  a  rifle  spoke  up,  and  a  bullet  scraped 
Pellingham  in  the  side.  At  once  the  foppish  sol- 
dier fell  on  his  knees,  screaming. 

"  Don't  shoot  me  !  "  he  yelled.  "  I  surrender  ! 
Don't  shoot !  "  And  he  continued  to  yell  until 
taken  in  charge  by  the  guard.  In  the  meantime 
Jack  Bracer  made  good  his  escape. 

When  brought  up  for  a  hearing,  Pellingham  was 
the  picture  of  despair.  Having  been  made  to  lis- 
ten to  Lieutenant  Ford's  testimony,  he  broke  down 
utterly,  and  told  all. 

"  But  I  didn't  mean  any  harm,"  he  whined.     "  I 


220  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

only  wanted  to  play  a  joke  on  Radbury.  I  had 
no  idea  it  would  turn  out  so  seriously." 

"  But  why  didn't  you  confess  before  ? "  he  was 
asked. 

"  I  was  afraid  of  Bracer.  He  threatened  to  kill 
me  if  I  said  one  word  that  would  get  him  into 
trouble." 

Of  course  the  hearing  left  Dan  free  of  all 
blame,  and  he  was  told  that  the  charge  against 
him  was  removed.  Dwight  Pellingham  was  placed 
under  arrest,  and  later  on  he  was  sentenced  to  a 
year  in  prison,  which  carried  with  it  a  dishonorable 
discharge  from  the  army.  It  may  be  added  here 
that  he  served  time  in  prison  without  complaint, 
and,  at  the  end,  started  in  to  work,  with  all  his 
dandy  and  foppish  manners  completely  crushed. 
In  time  he  made  quite  a  man  of  himself,  so  that, 
after  all,  his  army  experiences  counted  for  a  good 
deal. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

THE    HUMAN    MELONS 

"  Well,  if  I'm  not  tired  and  sick  of  this,  then  I 
don't  know  what  being  tired  and  sick  means." 

It  was  Ralph  who  uttered  the  words.  He  sat 
on  a  stone  bench  in  a  gloomy,  cave-like  opening 
high  among  the  mountains,  in  the  vicinity  of  Cerro 
Gordo  pass.  To  one  side  was  a  still  higher  moun- 
tain, to  the  other  an  abyss  many  hundreds  of  feet 
deep. 

Ralph  had  been  there  many  days,  and  from  a 
great  distance  had  heard  some  firing  of  cannon, 
although  what  it  meant  he  could  not  tell.  But 
one  day  he  heard,  through  a  guard  who  could 
speak  a  little  English,  that  General  Scott  had 
landed  near  Vera  Cruz,  and  was  bombarding  the 
city. 

"  I  hope  he  not  only  wins,  but  that  he  comes 
here,"  thought  the  young  prisoner  of  war.  "I 
want  to  be  rescued  soon." 

Ralph  was  not  alone.     Six  other  prisoners  were 


222  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

present,  and  now  the  guards  kept  coming  in  daily 
with  more.  The  accommodations  were  limited,  and 
with  the  increase  of  prisoners,  food  became  scanty, 
and  the  young  soldier  hardly  got  sufficient  to  keep 
him  from  starving. 

"  This  is  awful,"  he  said  to  a  sharpshooter 
named  Jack  Howell.  "  I  wish  we  could  get 
away." 

"  You  don't  wish  it  any  more  than  I  do,  Ralph," 
answered  Howell,  who  had  taken  a  fancy  to  the 
lad.  "  Perhaps  we'll  get  the  chance  to  take 
French  leave  if  we  watch  the  guards  closely." 

The  next  day  came  a  break  in  the  monotony. 
Ralph  was  dozing  in  a  corner  of  the  prison  when 
the  guards  brought  in  an  Irishman,  who  was  com- 
plaining most  lustily  over  the  treatment  received. 

"  Sure  an'  you  are  no  gintlemen  !  "  came  from 
the  newly-made  prisoner.  "  Let  go  av  me  arrum, 
do  yez  hear  ?  How  can  I  be  afther  runnin'  away 
wid  half  a  hundred  about  me  an'  no  gun  either, 
bedad  !  " 

"  Corporal  Tim  McManus  !  "  ejaculated  Ralph, 
leaping  up  and  running  forward. 

"  Be  the  saints  !  Ralph  Radbury  !  "  came  from 
Corporal  Tim,  and  he  stared  in  amazement. 
"  Sure  an'  I  was  afther  thinkin'  ye  was  dead 
long  since." 


THE  HUMAN  MELONS  223 

"No,  I'm  well  enough,  corporal.  But  I'm  a 
prisoner." 

"  Sure  an'  it's  that  selfsame  fate  has  overtaken 
yours  truly." 

"  Where  did  you  come  from  ? " 

"  From  the  walls  av  Vera  Cruz.  I  wint  out  to 
look  for  a  cartridge-box  I  was  afther  losing,  an'  the 
greasers  surprised  me  in  the  dark  an'  carried  me 
off.     How  long  have  ye  been  here,  lad  ? " 

"About  a  couple  of  weeks,  I  think.  I've  lost 
track  of  time  —  one  day  is  so  much  like  another. 
Howell,  this  is  Corporal  Tim  McManus  of  our 
company.  Tim,  this  is  Jack  Howell,  of  the 
sharpshooters." 

"  Yis,  I  know  av  him,"  said  McManus,  shaking 
hands.  "Well,  if  I'm  a  prisoner,  I'm  in  good 
company."     And  he  grinned. 

McManus  had  much  to  tell  of  the  capture  of 
the  city,  and  of  what  had  befallen  Dan,  and  Ralph 
listened  eagerly  to  all  that  was  told.  The  younger 
Radbury  was  astonished  to  think  Pellingham  and 
Bracer  could  be  so  bad. 

"And  what  became  of  Bracer?"  he  asked. 

"Sure  an'  he  must  be  with  the  greasers,"  said 
Corporal  Tim. 

The  night  which  followed  was  not  a  lonely  one 
for  Ralph,  for  he  and  McManus  talked  until  after 


224  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

twelve  o'clock,  when  the  guard  came  in  and  com- 
manded them  to  be  silent. 

Early  in  the  morning  a  fresh  batch  of  prisoners 
were  brought  in,  making  the  total  number  present 
over  a  hundred.  Then  half  of  the  number  were 
told  to  march  out,  this  party  including  our  friends. 

"  I  guess  they  are  going  to  take  us  still  higher 
up  into  the  mountains,"  was  Ralph's  comment. 

Presently  a  number  of  carts  came  along,  carry- 
ing melons  and  other  fruits,  some  loosely  and 
some  in  bags.  The  sight  of  the  bags  gave 
Howell,  the  sharpshooter,  an  idea. 

"  Perhaps  we  can  get  into  some  of  those  bags," 
he  whispered. 

A  large  cart  was  left  standing  close  by,  while 
the  driver  and  the  guards  went  off  to  attend  to 
some  business.  In  a  twinkle  Howell  leaped 
toward  the  turnout,  mounted  it,  and  seized  an 
empty  bag. 

"  Here  goes  for  luck  !  "  he  cried,  in  a  low  voice, 
and  slipped  the  bag  over  his  body.  Then  he 
crouched  down,  working  a  few  loose  melons  over 
him. 

"  Bedad !  I  can  do  that  same,"  muttered  Tim 
McManus,  and  also  seized  a  bag.  Ralph  did  like- 
wise, and  presently  the  trio  were  secreted  in  the 
cart.     More  wanted  to  follow,  but  just  then  the 


THE  HUMAN  MELONS  225 

driver  came  back,  and  the  other  prisoners  walked 
away,  after  begging  a  melon,  the  driver  giving 
them  one  which  was  partly  decayed. 

Soon  the  cart  was  bumping  over  the  rough 
road.  Those  in  the  bags  expected  each  instant  to 
be  called  back  by  a  guard,  but  nobody  stopped  the 
cart,  and  inside  of  half  an  hour  the  turnout  was 
well  on  its  way  down  the  mountainside. 

It  was  extremely  warm  in  the  bag,  and  Ralph 
could  scarcely  get  his  breath.  On  they  bumped, 
from  one  stone  to  another,  shaking  them  up  fully 
as  much  as  the  melons.  The  driver  smoked  philo- 
sophically and  never  once  looked  behind  to  learn 
how  his  load  was  faring,  and  unsuspicious  of  the 
human  freight  he  was  carrying. 

But  the  end  of  the  game  was  close  at  hand. 
All  of  the  bags  were  dusty,  and  soon  the  dust  got 
into  McManus's  nose  and  he  had  to  sneeze  in  spite 
of  all  he  could  do  to  stop  himself. 

"  Ker-chew  !  Ker-chew  !  Ker-chew  !  "  he  went, 
in  rapid  succession.  "  Oh,  bedad,  but  I  can't 
sthand  this  dirt  at  all  at  all !  Ker-chew  !  Ker- 
chew  !  "     And  out  of  the  bag  popped  his  head. 

Hearing  the  sounds,  Ralph  and  Howell  quickly 
uncovered,  and  before  the  driver  could  offer  any 
resistance  the  sharpshooter  had  him  by  the  throat. 

"  Silencio  ! "  he  cried.     "  Silencio  I " 


226  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

It  was  but  a  single  word,  but  it  was  enough  ; 
and  the  driver  remained  mute,  at  the  same  time 
with  terror  in  his  eyes. 

"  What  shall  we  do  next  ? "  asked  Ralph, 
anxiously. 

"  See  if  the  road  is  clear,"  replied  Howell. 
"And  be  quick  about  it." 

Kicking  themselves  clear  of  the  bags,  Ralph 
and  McManus  leaped  to  the  ground  and  ran 
ahead.  Not  a  soul  was  in  sight  for  the  distance 
of  half  a  mile.  :* 

Coming  back  they  reported  this  to  the  sharp- 
shooter. At  once  Howell  ordered  the  Mexican 
cart-driver  to  the  ground. 

"  Follow  me  with  that  rope,"  he  said  to  Ralph. 
"  McManus,  take  care  of  the  cart  for  a  few 
minutes." 

"  Sure,  an'  what's  the  game  now  ? "  demanded 
Corporal  Tim. 

"  I'm    going    to    tie    this    fellow    up    in    the 
woods." 

"  But  you  won't  leave  him  to  starve,  will  you  ? " 
asked  Ralph,  quickly. 

"  No,  I'll  fix  it  so  he  can  get  free  in  an  hour  or 
two,"  answered  Howell. 

He  made  the  prisoner  move  away  from  the 
road  a  distance  of  fifty  yards. 


THE  HUMAN  MELONS  227 

Here  stood  a  stout  tropical  tree,  and  to  this  the 
cart-driver  was  bound. 

The  fellow  tried  to  protest,  but  it  was  of  no 
avail. 

From  one  of  his  pockets  a  pistol  was  taken,  and 
this  the  sharpshooter  handled  with  much  satis- 
faction. 

"Ain't  the  best  kind  of  a  shooting-iron,"  was 
his  comment,  "  but  it  beats  nothing  all  holler ; " 
and  Ralph  agreed  with  him. 

At  the  cart  they  found  Corporal  Tim  anxiously- 
awaiting  their  return. 

"  It  is  no  time  we  must  be  afther  losin',''  said 
the  Irish  soldier.     "  Come  awn  !  " 

In  a  moment  more  they  were  on  the  way.  How- 
ell had  brought  along  the  Mexican's  hat  and  blouse. 
These  he  now  donned,  and  rubbed  his  face  with  a 
little  of  the  yellow  dust  of  the  road. 

"Senor,"  he  said,  in  fair  Spanish,  "will  I  pass 
for  a  Mexican  ?" 

"  I  think  you  will,"  answered  Ralph  with  a 
smile ;  "  only  I  think  the  Spanish  is  a  little 
shaky." 

"You're  all  right,"  put  in  McManus.  "But 
phat  about  Ralph  an'  me,  tell  me  that  now  ?  We 
can't  pass  fer  greasers." 

"  You  shall  pass  for  melons,"  answered  Howell. 


228  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

The  adventure  put  them  all  in  good  humor, 
and  as  they  drove  on  they  devoured  all  of  the 
melons  they  cared  to  eat. 

It  was  not  until  half  an  hour  later  that  several 
carts  hove  in  sight  coming  toward  them  from  a 
side  road. 

"  Now  you  can  get  back  into  the  bags,"  said 
Howell,  hurriedly,  "  and  mind  you,  not  a  move,  or 
the  jig  will  be  up." 

"We'll  be  as  quiet  as  mice  in  a  grain-house,"  re- 
plied Ralph,  and  got  into  a  bag  without  delay. 
McManus  did  the  same,  and  Howell  almost  cov- 
ered them  with  loose  melons. 

Slowly  the  other  carts  came  closer.  Howell 
drove  along  as  unconcernedly  as  possible,  but  his 
eyes  were  on  the  alert,  and  he  kept  the  pistol 
where  he  could  reach  it  instantly,  should  it  be 
required. 

Presently  a  driver  on  one  of  the  other  carts 
called  a  halt,  and  the  sharpshooter  was  compelled 
to  pull  up. 

"  What  do  you  want  ? "  he  demanded,  in  his 
best  Spanish. 

"  Where  is  Coroval  ?  "  was  the  question  put  in 
return. 

"  I  do  not  know." 

"  Didn't  you  leave  him  at  San  Benota  ? " 


THE  HUMAN  MELONS  2  29 

"  I  think  he  was  there,"  said  Howell,  cautiously. 
He  knew  not  what  to  say. 

"Are  those  Senor  Ramon's  melons  —  the  ones 
from  his  old  storehouse  ?  " 

"I  think  they  are." 

"All  right,  then,"  was  the  ready  answer.  "I 
have  orders  to  take  them  on  this  cart,  and  you  are 
to  go  back  for  some  hay." 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


BACK   TO    THE    RANKS 


As  soon  as  the  Mexican  in  the  leading  cart  be- 
gan to  question  him,  Howell  realized  that  he  had 
made  one  grave  mistake. 

That  was,  that  he  had  not  questioned  the  Mexi- 
can who  had  been  made  a  prisoner,  and  learned 
his  name  and  the  full  particulars  of  his  business 
on  the  road. 

But  in  his  haste  to  get  closer  to  Vera  Cruz  the 
sharpshooter  had  not  taken  time  for  this,  and  now 
his  ignorance  was  likely  to  cost  him  dear. 

"  You  say  I  am  to  go  back  for  some  hay  ? "  re- 
peated Howell,  slowly,  in  an  endeavor  to  get  his 
wits  together. 

"  Yes.  And,  by  the  way,  who  are  you  ? "  ques- 
tioned the  Mexican,  and  now  three  other  cart- 
drivers  drew  closer  and  came  to  a  halt  to  listen  to 
the  talk. 

"  I  am  Sefior  Ramon's  new  man,"  answered 
Howell,  smoothly. 

230 


BACK    TO    THE   RANKS  23 1 

"  Ah !  I  remember  he  said  he  was  going  to 
get  some  new  hands,"  replied  the  Mexican,  with 
increased  interest.  "  You  are  from  Vera  Cruz, 
then  ? " 

"Yes." 

"The  Yankees  have  captured  that  city." 

"  So  I  heard." 

"  Sefior  Ramon  had  no  right  to  take  on  new 
men  from  there,"  put  in  another  cart-driver. 
"  The  old  men  were  good  enough.  It  is  taking 
the  bread  out  of  our  mouths." 

"The  work  belongs  to  us,"  put  in  a  third,  with 
a  scowl.     "  It  has  been  ours  for  years." 

"I  know  nothing  about  that,"  said  Howell.  "  I 
was  ordered  to  take  the  melons  to  a  place  just 
outside  of  Vera  Cruz." 

"And  not  here  —  to  us  ?  "  came  from  the  lead- 
ing cart-driver  quickly. 

"No." 

At  once  there  was  a  murmur,  and  it  was 
plain  to  see  the  cart-drivers  were  angered  over 
something.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  had 
been  numerous  quarrels  between  old  cart- 
drivers  and  new  ones,  and  the  rivalry  was  very 
bitter. 

"  You  are  a  wretch  to  try  to  take  this  work 
from  us !  "  cried  one  cart-driver,  a  moment  later. 


232  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  For  but  little  I  would  thrash  you  soundly,"  and 
he  began  to  swear  roundly. 

Suddenly  two  others  leaped  forward  and  tried  to 
pull  Howell  from  the  seat  of  the  cart. 

But  like  a  flash  out  came  the  sharpshooter's 
pistol  and  they  fell  back  in  dismay. 

"  Dare  to  follow  me  and  I  will  shoot,"  he  said, 
still  in  Spanish.  "The  work  is  mine  and  I  intend 
to  keep  it.  I  shall  report  this  to  Sefior  Ramon  as 
soon  as  I  get  back." 

Then  he  drove  on,  leaving  the  cart-drivers  star- 
ing after  him  in  utter  dismay. 

He  lost  no  time  in  getting  away,  and  soon  the 
cart  had  passed  out  of  sight  of  those  left  behind. 
Then  the  sharpshooter  burst  into  a  laugh  of 
relief. 

"  Fooled  'em  nicely  that  trip,"  he  cried.  "  But 
it  was  a  close  shave." 

"  Sure,  an'  phat  was  it  all  about  ? "  questioned 
McManus,  as  he  stripped  off  the  bag. 

The  sharpshooter  told  both  of  his  companions 
and  they  laughed.  But  Ralph  shook  his  head 
directly  afterward. 

"  We  don't  want  another  encounter  like  that," 
he  said.  "  As  it  is,  they  will  be  after  us  in  a  few 
hours,  mark  my  words." 

The  distance  from  Cerro  Gordo  to  Vera  Cruz  is 


BACK  TO    THE   RANKS  233 

about  sixty  miles,  and  the  party  calculated  that  they 
were  still  forty-five  or  fifty  miles  from  the  seacoast. 
They  travelled  on  as  fast  as  the  animals  drawing 
the  cart  could  go,  and  inside  of  an  hour  reached  a 
spot  where  the  trail  ran  downward.  Here  was 
a  sheltered  nook,  and  they  stopped  to  rest. 

They  had  scarcely  dismounted  when  they  heard 
a  clatter  of  hoofs  behind  them. 

"  To  cover  !  "  shouted  Howell.  "That's  Mexican 
cavalry,  or  I  miss  my  guess  !  " 

They  lost  no  time  in  diving  into  the  brushwood 
lining  the  road,  and  none  too  soon,  for  less  than 
half  a  minute  later  the  cavalry,  several  hundred 
strong,  swept  into  view. 

They  were  a  fine  looking  body,  commanded  by  a 
stout-built  Mexican,  wearing  on  his  breast  half  a 
dozen  medals.  As  soon  as  the  abandoned  cart  was 
discovered,  the  cavalry  came  to  a  halt. 

"They  are  after  us,  sure  enough,"  muttered 
Ralph.      "  But  why  so  many  ?  " 

"  Reckon  they  were  coming  this  way  anyhow," 
whispered  Howell.  "  But  be  that  as  it  may,  we 
had  better  make  tracks,  unless  we  want  to  go  back 
to  our  prison." 

He  led  the  way  deeper  into  the  brushwood  and 
the  others  came  close  on  his  heels.  Soon  they 
entered  something  of  a  hollow,  where  it  was  dark. 


234  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

Still  Howell  kept  on,  nor  did  he  stop  until  fully  a 
mile  was  covered. 

"  They  will  spread  out  and  search  for  us,  you 
can  be  sure  of  that,"  he  remarked.  "  They  hate 
like  poison  to  have  a  prisoner  get  away  from 
them." 

Once  during  the  next  hour  an  alarm  came,  for  as 
they  crossed  a  side  trail  six  cavalrymen  showed 
themselves  less  than  two  hundred  yards  away. 
Again  they  lost  no  time  in  speeding  forward,  and 
when  darkness  came  they  calculated  that  they  had 
put  another  ten  miles  behind  them. 

But  the  next  day  they  had  to  rest,  for  McManus 
had  hurt  his  foot  on  a  sharp  rock  and  could  not 
walk.  Howell  went  out  and  brought  in  enough 
food  for  a  scanty  meal,  while  Ralph  remained  on 
guard. 

It  was  noon  of  the  day  following  when  they 
started  forward  once  more.  McManus  was  still 
lame,  and  they  had  to  help  him  over  many  a  hard 
place.  But  even  with  this  they  made  fairly  good 
progress. 

They  passed  several  towns  and  villages,  but 
always  at  a  distance,  taking  care  that  nobody 
should  see  them.  It  was  hot  and  dry  now,  and 
more  than  once  they  suffered  for  a  drink  of  good 
water.     But  nobody  complained. 


BACK  TO    THE  RANKS  2$$ 

"  Sure  an'  it's  the  forchunes  av  war,"  said  Cor- 
poral Tim.     "  'Tis  no  child's  play." 

At  last  they  thought  they  must  be  close  to  their 
journey's  end.  The  mountains  had  been  left  behind 
and  they  had  come  out  on  the  low-lying  sand-hills 
running  down  to  the  gulf.  But  whether  they  were 
north  or  south  of  Vera  Cruz  they  could  not  tell. 

Presently  they  heard  cannon-fire  to  the  north  of 
their  position.  At  first  the  shots  were  scattering 
but  then  came  a  steady  booming,  followed  by  the 
rattle  of  musketry,  and  a  cloud  of  smoke  arose  over 
a  hill  in  that  direction. 

"  It  is  a  battle ! "  cried  Ralph,  excitedly. 
"  Come  on  !  "  And  he  ran  in  that  direction,  with 
the  others  close  on  his  heels. 

Reaching  the  top  of  the  hill,  they  saw  that 
a  lively  skirmish  was  in  progress  close  by,  between 
some  United  States  and  some  Mexican  cavalry. 
The  cannonading  came  from  still  farther  off. 

The  Mexican  cavalry  were  retreating,  and  in 
a  minute  more  over  a  hundred  excited  horsemen 
came  bearing  straight  for  our  friends.  The 
Americans  were  shooting  after  the  retreating 
enemy,  and  bullets  whistled  in  every  direction. 

"  Lay  low !  "  sang  out  Howell,  and  they  lost  no 
time  in  creeping  into  a  gully  which  cut  the  hill  into 
two  parts. 


236  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

On  and  on  swept  the  Mexicans,  with  the  United 
States  cavalry  close  at  their  heels,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  more  our  friends  found  themselves  among 
troops  that  they  knew  well.  They  gave  a  cheer, 
at  which  some  of  the  cavalry  stopped,  to  stare  in 
amazement. 

"Where  did  you  spring  from?"  demanded  one 
of  the  officers. 

"  We  have  been  prisoners  of  the  Mexicans,  and 
we  escaped  several  days  ago,"  answered  Ralph. 
"  We  are  trying  to  find  our  way  to  Vera  Cruz." 

"  Prisoners,  eh  ?  All  right,  go  back  and  wait 
until  we  return.  We  want  to  give  those  greasers 
a  bit  of  a  chase." 

Our  friends  waited,  and  in  half  an  hour  the 
cavalry  came  back,  having  driven  the  enemy  into 
the  thickets  of  the  mountainside.  Then  it  was 
learned  that  the  United  States  cavalry  was  an 
advance-guard  sent  out  to  clear  the  way  for 
General  Scott's  army,  now  on  the  move  toward  the 
City  of  Mexico. 

"  Hurrah  !  we're  safe  !  "  cried  McManus. 

"  Let  us  get  back  to  our  commands  as  soon  as 
we  can,"  said  Ralph,  and  having  received  directions, 
they  set  off,  and  soon  reached  the  main  body  of 
soldiers,  who  were  getting  ready  to  go  into  camp 
for  the  night.      Here  Howell  left  the  others. 


BACK  TO    THE   RANKS  237 

"  Ralph  !  "  yelled  Dan,  when  he  saw  his  brother 
stalking  toward  him.  And  he  leaped  forward  and 
caught  the  lad  in  his  arms.  Then  others  came  up, 
and  not  only  Ralph  but  also  Corporal  Tim  received 
a  warm  welcome. 

It  was  a  great  evening  around  the  camp-fire, 
with  everybody  telling  his  story  or  listening  to 
what  others  had  to  say.  Dan  could  scarcely 
believe  that  Ralph  had  gone  through  so  much,  and 
on  his  part  Ralph  was  amazed  at  the  news  con- 
cerning Dwight  Pellingham  and  Jack  Bracer. 

"Jack  Bracer  will  never  forgive  you,  Dan,"  he 
said.  "  You  will  have  to  watch  him  closely,  if  you 
ever  meet  him  again." 

The  following  morning  Ralph,  Corporal  Tim,  and 
Howell  were  ordered  to  headquarters,  and  there 
they  told  their  story  once  more.  They  had  much 
information  of  value  to  give,  and  this  was  received 
with  great  satisfaction.  Then  they  were  ordered 
back  to  the  ranks ;  and  half  an  hour  later  were  on 
the  march. 

"And  now  to  meet  the  Mexicans  and  whip 
them,"  said  Ralph.  "  It  will  give  me  great  pleas- 
ure to  defeat  those  who  made  me  a  prisoner." 

"And  it  will  give  me  great  pleasure  to  meet 
Jose  Toletto  and  Juan  the  Giant  and  bring  them 
to  justice,"  came  from  Dan. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  CERRO  GORDO 

As  told  before,  Cerro  Gordo  lay  high  up  among 
the  mountains,  with  rocky  elevations  on  one  side 
and  a  deep  ravine  on  the  other.  The  road  to  it 
ran  over  the  sandy  hills  and  was  in  plain  view  of 
the  mountain  top. 

Since  the  fall  of  Vera  Cruz,  Santa  Anna  and 
his  generals  had  not  been  idle,  and  hard  work  had 
been  done  to  fortify  Cerro  Gordo  and  the  vicinity, 
with  cannon  and  in  other  ways.  Guns  were 
planted  in  such  a  manner  that  they  could  sweep 
the  approaches  to  the  mountain  pass  for  a  mile  or 
more,  and  numerous  small  bridges  were  either  cut 
away  or  blown  up.  In  some  places  natural  pit- 
falls were  made  ten  times  worse  ;  all  in  the  vain 
hope  that  the  advance  of  the  United  States  army 
might  be  checked. 

But  such  an  old  and  able  commander  as  General 
Scott  was  not  to  be  caught  napping.  From  numer- 
ous spies  he  learned  all  that  the  Mexicans  were 
238 


THE  BATTLE    OF  CERRO    GORDO  239 

doing,  and  understood  only  too  well  that  to  ad- 
vance upon  the  mountain  pass  by  the  regular  road 
would  be  foolhardy  —  unless,  of  course,  it  might 
be  possible  to  distract  the  Mexicans'  attention  in 
another  direction. 

"We  will  flank  their  battery,"  said  the  able 
general,  and  preparations  were  at  once  made  to 
carry  this  plan  into  effect.  A  demonstration 
was  made  in  front  and  then  on  either  side,  and 
soon  our  troops  had  the  Mexicans  completely 
bewildered. 

The  march  up  into  the  mountains  proved  a  try- 
ing one,  but  neither  Dan  nor  Ralph  minded  it,  so 
glad  were  they  to  be  together  again  and  to  know 
that  each  brother  was  safe  and  sound.  Dan  had 
gotten  a  letter  from  home  the  night  before,  and  as 
all  was  going  on  well  at  the  ranch  this  helped  to 
complete  their  contentment. 

"  We  are  going  to  push  the  Mexicans  hard  this 
trip,"  said  Dan.  "  I  don't  believe  General  Scott 
will  let  up  an  inch,  now  he  has  started." 

"  It's  the  only  way  to  do,"  answered  Ralph. 
"  When  you  once  get  a  man  on  the  run,  keep  him 
at  it  until  he  drops.  That's  what  Poke  told  me 
once,  and  it's  good  advice.  By  the  way,  where  is 
Poke  ? " 

"  Looking  after  some  wagons    as  usual.     He's 


24O  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

the  handiest  man  they  have  for  that  sort  of  thing. 
Yet  he  doesn't  want  to  go  in  the  regular  train." 

As  they  marched  along  they  passed  several 
spots  familiar  to  Ralph,  and  he  pointed  out  where 
they  had  met  the  Mexicans  with  their  carts,  and 
where  they  had  secured  the  cart  in  which  they 
were  hiding. 

"You  were  mighty  lucky  to  get  away,"  said  the 
older  brother.  "  Nine  prisoners  out  of  ten  would 
have  been  shot  down  in  short  order." 

It  was  late  on  the  second  day  after  this  con- 
versation that  the  advance-guard  came  in  with 
news  that  some  Mexican  troops  were  not  far 
ahead,  on  a  road  to  the  left.  Several  regiments 
were  at  once  despatched  to  that  vicinity,  including 
the  command  to  which  Ralph  belonged.  Later 
on  the  troops  to  which  Dan  and  Poke  belonged 
also  came  up. 

Inside  of  half  an  hour  the  Mexican  sharpshooters 
began  firing  on  our  advance-guard,  and  soon  came 
a  steady  crack-cracking  of  guns,  followed  presently 
by  the  roar  of  cannon  and  the  shrieking  of  shells. 

"  We  are  in  for  the  real  thing  now  !  "  cried 
Ralph,  who  thus  far  had  not  been  in  a  battle  since 
leaving  General  Taylor's  army. 

And  it  was  "the  real  thing,"  more  fierce  than 
many  a  soldier  on  either  side  had  expected.      At 


SIT    STILL,    SENOR 


THE  BATTLE   OF  CERRO    GORDO  24 1 

first  the  Mexicans  had  the  best  of  it,  shooting 
from  behind  rocks  and  mountain  brushwood,  but 
our  boys  came  on  with  a  gallant  rush  and  the 
enemy  were  quickly  dislodged,  and  then  one  side 
had  as  much  protection  as  the  other. 

"  Down  with  the  greasers ! "  came  the  cry. 
"  Forward,  every  man  !  Hurrah  for  Uncle  Sam  !  " 
And  forward  they  went,  until  Ralph's  company 
was  in  the  very  midst  of  a  hot  fire,  with  bullets 
whistling  in  every  direction.  One  bullet  passed 
through  his  soldier  jacket  and  another  clipped  his 
shoulder,  and  he  saw  a  man  directly  in  front  of 
him  throw  up  his  arms  and  fall  dead.  He  had  to 
leap  over  the  body  to  keep  from  falling  himself. 

The  onward  rush  lasted  the  best  part  of  half  an 
hour.  The  firing  came  by  fits  and  starts.  Once 
a  Mexican  soldier  aimed  at  a  lieutenant  moving 
close  to  Ralph.  The  young  soldier  let  drive  with 
a  bullet  and  the  Mexican  went  down,  seriously  if 
not  mortally  wounded. 

"  I'll  remember  that,  Radbury,"  cried  the  lieu- 
tenant, grimly.  "  Well  done  !  "  And  he  rushed 
on,  and  immediately  the  tide  of  battle  carried  the 
two  apart. 

The  advance  was  now  up  the  side  of  a  rocky 
point,  and  here  the  command  to  which  Dan  be- 
longed   joined  the    others.      General   Scott    had 


242  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

begun  to  flank  the  batteries  on  the  heights  of 
Cerro  Gordo,  and  the  Mexicans  were  turning  first 
in  one  direction  and  then  another.  Some  of  our 
soldiers  were  engaged  in  cutting  a  path  through 
the  thick  chaparral. 

The  fighting  came  to  an  end  with  Ralph  and 
the  others  about  half-way  up  the  mountainside. 
A  demonstration  to  the  front  of  Cerro  Gordo, 
under  Colonel  Harney,  had  completely  deceived 
the  enemy,  and  at  an  early  hour  on  the  following 
morning  the  attack  was  renewed,  with  Pillow's 
brigade  assaulting  the  right,  Twigg's  brigade  at- 
tacking the  fortification  in  the  centre,  and  Riley's 
brigade  driving  the  bewildered  Mexicans  from  one 
post  of  defence  to  another.  While  this  was  going 
on  the  soldiers  under  General  Shields  captured  a 
battery  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy's  left,  which  had 
its  full  share  in  bringing  on  utter  defeat  for  the 
Mexicans. 

In  the  general  assault  Dan  found  ■  himself  in 
more  than  one  hot  situation.  He  was  climbing 
around  a  bit  of  rough  rocks  when  the  company 
found  itself  suddenly  confronted  by  half  a  regiment 
of  Mexican  veterans.  A  wild  yell  went  up,  and 
almost  immediately  a  savage  hand-to-hand  struggle 
ensued,  —  such  as  is  in  modern  wars  of  rare  oc- 
currence.      The  rocky  point  was  hemmed  in  on 


THE  BATTLE   OF  CERRO    GORDO  243 

three  sides  by  deep  ravines,  and  the  Mexicans  did 
their  best  to  make  the  United  States  soldiers  re- 
treat, knowing  that  they  would  thus  be  forced  into 
one  or  another  of  the  perilous  openings. 

"  Stand  your  ground  !  "  came  the  cry.  "  Don't 
give  in  a  foot !  "  And  then  the  roar  of  musketry, 
coupled  with  the  roar  of  a  battery  belching  forth 
from  a  point  still  farther  up  the  mountain,  drowned 
out  every  other  sound.  The  smoke  was  so  thick 
that  but  little  could  be  seen. 

"To  the  left  —  double-quick!"  Dan  heard  a 
little  later,  and  saw  some  of  the  command  shifting 
in  the  direction  mentioned.  He  tried  to  go  with 
the  rest,  but  stumbled  over  several  wounded  men 
and  went  down.  As  he  attempted  to  rise,  a  savage 
looking  Mexican  caught  him  by  the  foot. 

The  Mexican  was  suffering  from  a  broken  leg, 
but  there  was  still  a  good  deal  of  fight  left  in  him, 
and  as  he  held  Dan  with  one  hand  he  raised  a 
long  horse-pistol  with  the  other  and  pointed  the 
weapon  at  the  young  soldier's  heart. 

"  I'll  bring  one  more  dog  of  a  Yankee  down ! " 
he  cried,  in  Spanish,  and  pulled  the  trigger. 

Although  horrified,  Dan  was  not  so  alarmed  but 
what  he  kept  his  wits  about  him,  and  as  the  Mexi- 
can pulled  the  trigger,  he  let  out  with  one  foot 
and  gave  the  fellow   a  kick  in    the  wrist.     The 


244  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

pistol  dropped  as  it  was  about  to  go  off  and  the 
bullet  lodged  in  the  ground.  Then  Dan  gave 
the  Mexican  another  kick,  this  time  in  the  face, 
and  ran  on. 

The  tide  of  battle  was  now  sweeping  toward  a 
watercourse  which  found  its  way  through  the 
mountains  at  this  point,  and  a  little  later  Ralph 
and  Dan  met  close  beside  the  wreck  of  a  bridge 
which  had  been  blown  up  by  the  Mexicans  several 
days  before. 

"  There  is  blood  on  your  hand,  Ralph  !  "  cried 
the  elder  Radbury. 

"  It's  only  a  scratch,"  was  the  answer.  "  How 
are  you  faring  ?  " 

"  Pretty  well,  although  the  Mexicans  have  tried 
their  best  to  kill  me." 

"  I  am  dying  for  a  drink." 

"So  am  I." 

So  were  a  great  number  of  others,  and  from  an 
officer  the  men  obtained  permission  to  go  down 
a  steep  bit  of  ground  to  where  the  water  could  be 
reached. 

Ralph  and  Dan  slid  down  side  by  side,  holding 
on  to  rocks  and  brushwood  for  support.  The  river 
below  flowed  swiftly  and  neither  felt  like  wanting 
a  ducking,  although  they  would  not  have  minded 
a  good  swim,  had  there  not  been  a  battle  on. 


THE  BATTLE   OF  CERRO    GORDO  245 

"  It  ought  to  be  cold,  coming  right  from  the 
mountains,"  said  Ralph,  as  he  got  down  to  within 
two  yards  of  where  the  stream  rushed  onward. 

"We  want  to  be  careful,"  cautioned  his  brother, 
after  a  glance  back.  "  If  I'm  not  mistaken, 
the  battery  on  yonder  hill  can  cover  this  spot 
nicely." 

"  Well,  I  hope  they  don't  try  to  cover  us,  Dan. 
Hold  on  now.  Give  me  your  hand.  There  !  now 
we  can  reach  it.  I'm  going  to  drink  all  I  can  and 
then  fill  the  canteen." 

Some  other  soldiers  were  already  drinking, 
and  soon  Ralph  and  Dan  were  "filling  up,"  as 
they  expressed  it.  The  water  was  both  pure 
and  cold  and  came  like  nectar  to  their  parched 
throats. 

Having  drunk  all  they  wished,  they  started  to 
fill  not  only  their  own  canteens,  but  also  several 
others  given  to  them  by  their  friends  who  could 
not  leave  the  firing  line. 

"  Look  out,  boys  !  "  came  a  sudden  yell. 

The  cry  was  followed  by  the  roar  of  a  cannon 
from  a  height  above  them.  Then  came  another 
roar,  and  a  shell  came  rolling  down  toward  the 
river. 

"It's  coming  this  way  ! "  cried  Dan.  "  Jump, 
Ralph,  jump  for  your  life !  " 


246  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

And  then,  as  the  shell  rolled  closer,  Dan  caught 
his  brother  by  the  hand  and  both  leaped  into  the 
rushing  stream  below  them.  A  dozen  other 
soldiers  followed. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

MARCHING    THROUGH    THE    MOUNTAINS 

For  the  moment  Ralph  knew  nothing  more 
than  that  the  waters  of  the  stream  closed  over  his 
head  and  that  he  and  Dan  were  caught  in  a  con- 
fused mass  of  soldiers,  all  struggling  to  save  their 
lives. 

Then  came  a  deafening  report,  as  the  shell  ex- 
ploded, and  a  huge  mass  of  rocks  and  brushwood 
was  hurled  into  the  air,  the  greater  part  to  fall  into 
the  river,  much  of  it  on  the  soldiers'  heads.  In  this 
downfall  one  soldier  received  a  large  stone  on  his 
neck  and  was  instantly  killed  thereby. 

It  was  a  thick  mass  of  brushwood  which  came 
down  directly  over  both  Ralph  and  Dan,  forcing 
them  far  below  the  surface  of  the  stream.  They 
clutched  each  other  and  did  their  best  to  throw 
the  brushwood  off. 

On  and  on  swept  the  brushwood  down  the 
river,  carrying  the  unfortunates  with  it.  Dan,  be- 
ing the  stronger,  at  last  forced  his  head  above 
water.  Getting  a  hold  on  a  large  part  of  the 
247 


248  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

brushwood,  he  managed  to  drag  Ralph  up  after 
him. 

"  Ralph  !  are  you  all  right  ? "  he  asked,  as  soon 
as  he  could  speak. 

"I  —  I  suppose  so,"  gasped  the  younger  Rad- 
bury.     "  But  —  but  where  are  we  ?  " 

"  In  the  midst  of  a  pile  of  brushwood  that  came 
down  after  the  shell  exploded." 

They  were  indeed  in  the  midst  of  the  brushwood, 
which  set  over  their  heads  like  an  immense  hood, 
shutting  out  the  sight  on  every  side.  Soon  Dan 
felt  a  movement  behind  him,  and  another  soldier 
came  up,  gasping  for  his  very  life. 

For  fully  a  minute  not  one  of  the  three  under 
the  brushwood  could  do  more  than  cling  fast  and 
try  to  regain  his  breath.  The  strange  soldier 
could  scarcely  hold  fast,  and  Ralph  helped  to 
support  him. 

"  We're  in  for  it,"  said  Dan,  presently. 

"This  is  a  case  of  another  drift  on  a  river," 
replied  Ralph,  grimly.  "  But  we  haven't  got  Miss 
Morales  with  us  this  time." 

"  We  must  be  drifting  right  into  the  heart  of 
the  enemy's  country,  Ralph." 

"  I  believe  you." 

"  Say,  how  are  we  to  get  ashore  ? "  came  from 
the  strange  soldier. 


MARCHING    THROUGH   THE   MOUNTAINS   249 

".That's  a  question,"  answered  Dan.  "First 
we've  got  to  clear  ourselves  of  this  brush." 

"  Don't  do  it.  If  we  expose  ourselves  we  may 
get  shot." 

This  seemed  good  advice,  yet  nobody  wished  to 
stay  under  the  brushwood  any  longer  than  was 
necessary. 

But  presently  the  mass  of  drifting  stuff  struck 
the  shore  of  the  river  and  came  to  a  stop. 

"Landed,"  said  the  strange  soldier,  laconically. 
"  And  I  can  touch  bottom,"  he  added,  after  a  pause. 

With  caution  they  raised  one  end  of  the  heap  of 
brushwood  and  peered  forth.  Then  they  let  it 
drop  again  in  a  hurry. 

And  not  without  reason,  for  directly  in  front  of 
them  was  a  Mexican  camp  containing  at  least  two 
companies  of  soldiers.  The  soldiers  were  guarding 
a  stock  of  ammunition  which  had  just  been  brought 
up  on  two  carts. 

"  What  shall  we  do  next  ?  "  whispered  Ralph. 

"  Nothing  just  now,"  answered  Dan.  "  Perhaps 
they'll  move  off  soon." 

A  yell  was  now  heard,  and  some  of  the  soldiers 
came  rushing  to  the  bank  of  the  river.  They  had 
discovered  two  Yankees  struggling  in  midstream 
for  their  lives.  The  twu  soldiers  were  promptly 
shot  amid  a  wild  cheering. 


25O  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  Reckon  that's  the  way  they'd  serve  us  if  they 
got  the  chance,"  said  the  stranger,  to  Ralph  and 
Dan.  He  gritted  his  teeth.  "Are  you  good  on 
fighting  ? " 

"  We'll  fight  —  if  it  comes  to  it,"  responded  Dan. 
"  But  I  think  it  will  pay  us  better  to  lay  low." 

"Correct,  partner." 

Ten  minutes  passed.  From  a  distance  came  a 
constant  firing.  The  Mexicans  beside  the  am- 
munition seemed  very  anxious. 

A  horseman  came  clattering  up,  yelling  direc- 
tions in  Spanish.  At  once  the  ammunition  was 
deserted,  and  the  Mexicans  moved  off  on  the 
double-quick. 

"They  are  retreating!"  cried  Dan,  joyfully. 
"  Our  boys  must  be  coming  this  way  !  " 

He  was  right,  and  soon  a  regiment  of  United 
States  regulars  came  pouring  over  a  near-by  hill- 
top. They  were  after  the  Mexicans  in  hot  haste, 
and  as  they  swept  on  paid  no  attention  to  the 
Radburys  and  their  companion. 

It  was  no  easy  matter  to  find  their  way  back  to 
their  commands,  but  at  last  Ralph  found  his  com- 
pany, and  Dan's  company  was  not  far  off.  They 
were  hailed  as  from  the  dead. 

"  Thought  every  one  who  went  into  the  river  was 
killed,"  said  an  under  officer,  to  Ralph. 


MARCHING    THROUGH   THE   MOUNTAINS    25 1 

"Sure  an'  ye  can't  kill  the  Radburys,"  put  in 
McManus,  who  stood  near.  "  They  are  afther 
havin'  the  loives  av  noine  cats,  bedad !  " 

The  fight  was  still  on,  but  now  the  Mexicans 
were  fleeing  in  confusion,  and  already  a  large  num- 
ber of  prisoners  had  been  taken.  In  the  round-up 
which  followed  Poke  Stover  played  a  conspicuous 
part,  and  he  came  in  at  the  head  of  sixteen 
prisoners. 

When  the  battle  was  over  it  was  found  that  our 
troops  had  sustained  a  loss  of  sixty-four  killed  and 
three  hundred  and  fifty  wounded.  The  loss  to  the 
Mexicans  was  fully  as  great,  and  in  addition  three 
thousand  of  the  enemy  were  made  prisoners,  in- 
cluding five  generals  and  scores  of  minor  officers. 
Four  thousand  six  hundred  firearms  were  also  cap- 
tured, along  with  forty-three  pieces  of  artillery. 
It  was  only  by  a  close  shave  that  Santa  Anna 
himself  escaped,  and  he  was  in  such  a  hurry 
to  get  away  that  he  left  his  wooden  leg  behind 
him  ! 

The  victory  had  been  a  grand  one,  and  that 
night,  as  tired  as  the  soldiers  were,  they  lit  huge 
camp-fires  in  its  honor.  Everybody  had  his  story 
to  tell.  And  there  was  likewise  plenty  to  do,  for 
the  sick,  wounded,  and  dying  had  to  be  cared  for, 
the  dead  buried,  and  the  prisoners  watched. 


252  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

After  this  battle  Santa  Anna  and  the  remnant 
of  his  army  retired  to  Jalapa  and  Perote.  The 
Mexicans  were  in  a  demoralized  condition,  and  for 
a  time  it  looked  as  if  the  defeated  general  would 
be  driven  out  by  the  revolutionists. 

Knowing  the  condition  of  affairs,  General  Scott 
did  not  delay  any  more  than  absolutely  necessary. 
As  soon  as  the  prisoners  and  others  needing  atten- 
tion were  cared  for,  he  pushed  forward  through  the 
mountain  passes. 

Once  more  our  young  soldiers  found  themselves 
on  the  road.  It  was  now  the  middle  of  April,  and 
the  weather  was  unusually  hot,  so  that  everybody 
was  glad  to  reach  a  high  point  where  there  might 
be  something  of  a  cooling  breeze. 

From  Cerro  Gordo  the  army  moved  straight 
upon  Jalapa  and  Perote.  At  first  the  Mexicans 
thought  to  make  a  stand  at  these  two  towns,  but 
before  the  United  States  troops  could  get  at  close 
range,  the  Mexicans  fled. 

On  the  2 2d  of  April  our  army  marched  into 
Perote  and  took  possession  there  of  a  large  amount 
of  army  stores.  The  Mexicans  in  the  town  ap- 
peared friendly,  but  a  strict  guard  was  main- 
tained, for  General  Scott  was  in  dread  of  treachery. 
He  was  now  many  miles  from  his  base  of  supplies, 
and  if  Santa  Anna  should  succeed  in  cutting  him 


MARCHING    THROUGH  THE  MOUNTAINS    253 

off,  our  army  would  certainly  fare  badly,  if  not 
suffer  complete  annihilation. 

"  What  a  sleepy-looking  town,"  remarked  Dan, 
as  he  and  Poke  marched  into  the  place  side  by  side. 
"  I  don't  believe  these  greasers  know  how  to  do  a 
real  hard  day's  work." 

"The  heat  is  against  them,"  answered  the  old 
frontiersman.  "  But  jest  you  wait.  Some  day 
there'll  be  a  railroad  out  here,  an'  then  ye'll  see 
things  boom."  What  Poke  said  has  come  true  in 
part.  There  is  a  railroad  there.  Yet  the  boom  in 
the  main  is  still  lacking,  although  business  is  fairly 
good,  and  people  from  the  States  are  gradually 
drifting  in. 

The  command  to  which  Dan  and  Poke  belonged 
was  set  to  watching  a  big  storehouse  full  of  goods. 
On  the  second  evening  on  guard  Dan  was  standing 
on  a  corner  when  he  saw  a  man  skulking  along 
close  by. 

"Halt!"  he  called  to  the  individual,  but  the 
fellow  paid  no  attention. 

"  Halt,  or  I'll  fire ! "  cried  the  young  soldier, 
louder  than  ever.  He  had  his  gun  up,  but  before 
he  could  get  an  aim  the  man  disappeared  behind 
an  angle  of  the  wall. 

With  all  speed  Dan  rushed  in  that  direction,  to 
discover  that  the  fellow  had  entered  a  storeroom 


254  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

with  open  windows.  It  was  somewhat  dark  inside, 
and  the  young  soldier  came  to  a  halt,  not  know- 
ing exactly  what  to  do  next. 

Then  of  a  sudden  the  man  came  out  again  and 
rushed  across  the  street.  As  he  did  so  Dan  got  a 
good  look  at  him  and  opened  his  eyes  in  amaze- 
ment. 

"  Juan  the  Giant !  "  he  gasped. 

It  was  indeed  Badillo,  and  at  the  cry  the  giant 
turned  and  shook  his  fist  at  Dan.  Then  he 
continued  to  run  down  a  side  street. 

By  this  time  the  corporal  of  the  guard  was 
running  up. 

"  What's  the  row  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"A  man  was  here.  He  ran  down  that  way.  It 
was  that  Juan  Badillo  I  once  told  you  about." 

"  Did  he  steal  anything  ? " 

"  I  don't  know.     Can  I  go  after  him  ?  " 

"Yes,  but  don't  go  alone." 

"  Will  you  send  Poke  Stover  after  me  ?  If  I 
wait  to  get  him,  the  man  will  slip  me." 

"All  right,  I'll  send  Stover." 

Waiting  to  say  no  more,  Dan  began  the  chase 
after  Juan  the  Giant,  running  as  fast  as  his  legs 
would  carry  him. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

IN    WHICH    A    DESERTER    FALLS 

Dan  had  been  thoroughly  astonished  at  catching 
sight  of  Juan  Badillo,  for  he  had  imagined  that  the 
giant  had  gone  directly  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the  City 
of  Mexico. 

But  his  astonishment  speedily  gave  way  to  a 
determination  to  catch  the  rascal  if  the  deed 
could  be  accomplished,  and  the  way  he  sprinted 
along  after  the  tall  fellow  was  truly  astonishing. 

He  could  see  Badillo  plainly,  but  soon  the  giant 
turned  into  a  side  street  lined  with  private  houses, 
all  of  the  regulation  Mexican  pattern. 

"  I'll  have  to  go  slow  here,"  said  the  young  sol- 
dier to  himself.  "  He  will  play  me  foul  if  he  gets 
half  the  chance." 

With  gun  ready  for  use,  he  turned  into  the 
side  street.  Badillo  was  still  on  the  run,  but  not 
going  as  fast  as  formerly. 

Presently  the  man  ahead  passed  under  a  small 
bridge  connecting  a  house  on  one  side  of  the 
255 


256  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

roadway  with  a  house  on  the  other  side.  Here 
it  was  dark,  and,  in  the  deep  shadows,  Dan  lost 
track  of  Juan  the  Giant. 

Coming  to  the  side  of  the  bridge,  the  young 
soldier  paused  again.  He  could  hear  rapid  foot- 
steps behind,  and  wondered  if  Poke  Stover  was 
coming  up. 

Suddenly  something  caused  Dan  to  glance  up. 
He  was  just  in  time  to  behold  Badillo  on  the 
bridge.  The  giant  had  a  large  brick  in  his  hand, 
and  was  in  the  act  of  throwing  it  at  the  young 
soldier's  head. 

Dan  tried  to  dodge,  but  his  movement  was  not 
quick  enough,  and  the  brick  came  down  with 
crushing  force,  and  the  young  soldier  dropped  like 
a  log  where  he  stood. 

"  Ha !  a  good  shot ! "  muttered  the  giant,  to 
himself,  in  Spanish.  "  He  will  not  follow  me 
again  in  a  hurry  !  " 

He  was  about  to  move  on,  when,  with  set  teeth, 
he  paused,  and  drew  a  knife  from  beneath  his  coat. 

"  Now  I  have  him  in  my  power,  it  would  be  well 
to  finish  him,"  he  muttered.  "And  he  may  have 
something  of  value  in  his  clothing." 

He  started  down  toward  Dan,  when  the 
approaching  footsteps  caught  his  ear. 

"  Ha  !  somebody  comes  !     Who  can  it  be  ?  " 


IN    WHICH  A   DESERTER  FAILS  2$y 

"  Dan  !  Dan  Radbury !  "  came  the  cry.  "  Where 
are  you,  Dan  ?  " 

"  Some  friend  of  the  fellow !  "  growled  Juan 
Badillo,  and,  on  the  instant,  he  drew  back  and 
continued  his  flight,  and,  in  a  few  seconds,  the 
darkness  swallowed  him  completely. 

Dan  lay  like  one  dead  where  he  had  fallen,  and 
it  was  a  good  five  minutes  before  Poke  stumbled 
upon  him  by  accident. 

"  Great  Jerusha !  "  ejaculated  the  old  frontiers- 
man, as  he  bent  over  the  motionless  form. 
"  Knocked  out  fer  fair  !     Dan,  are  ye  alive  ?  " 

The  only  answer  was  a  groan,  and,  more 
alarmed  than  ever,  Poke  caught  up  the  body  in 
his  arms,  and  carried  it  to  where  there  was  more 
light.  The  blood  was  trickling  down  Dan's  face, 
and  a  lump  was  rising  where  the  brick  had  struck. 

It  was  too  far  to  carry  Dan  back  to  the  place 
from  which  he  had  started,  and  Poke  did  the  next 
best  thing  —  took  him  to  where  water  could  be 
obtained.  Here  the  scalp  wound  was  washed  and 
plastered  up. 

By  this  time  Dan  was  recovering,  but  he  re- 
mained partly  dazed  for  some  time. 

"  Oh,  what  a  crack !  "  he  gasped. 

"  Did  thet  Badillo  hit  ye  ? "  questioned  Poke, 
sympathetically. 


258  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  He  did,  Poke.     But  —  but  —  where  am  I  ?  " 

"  Here,  by  a  town  well.  I  found  ye,  and  carried 
ye  here.     You  were  a-layin'  under  a  bridge  —  " 

"  Yes  —  I  remember  now.  He  was  on  the 
bridge,  and  flung  a  brick  down  on  my  head.  I've 
got  quite  a  lump,  haven't  I? " 

"  It's  lucky  he  didn't  crack  your  skull  for  ye, 
lad.  Tell  ye  wot,  he's  a  rascal  from  top  to  bot- 
tom, no  two  ways  on't." 

"  Did  you  see  where  he  went  to  ? " 

"No,  I  didn't  see  him  at  all." 

"  Then  I  guess  there  is  no  use  to  hunt  for  him 
now." 

"  No ;  he  will  keep  mighty  shady  while  we  stay 
in  the  town,  you  can  be  sure  o'  thet,"  responded 
the  old  frontiersman. 

When  Dan  walked  back  to  his  command,  he 
felt  terribly  dizzy,  and  his  head  ached  as  if  it 
would  split  open.  He  reported  for  duty,  and  was 
then  told  to  go  to  the  surgeon  for  repairs,  and  did 
so.  Although  the  lump  remained  for  some  time, 
he  felt  quite  like  himself  by  the  evening  of  the  day 
following. 

"  All  this  goes  to  prove  what  a  really  dangerous 
character  Juan  the  Giant  is,"  said  Ralph,  when  he 
heard  of  what  had  occurred.  "  The  only  way  to 
treat  that  fellow  is  to  do  as  they  do  among  the 


IN   WHICH  A   DESERTER  FALLS  259 

men  of  the  bad  lands,  shoot  first  and  talk  after- 
ward." 

A  portion  of  the  army  remained  at  Perote  some 
time,  but  the  division  under  General  Worth  soon 
after  took  up  the  march  against  the  Mexican  capi- 
tal, and  attacked  the  city  of  Puebla,  a  prosperous 
community  containing  many  thousands  of  inhabit- 
ants. It  was  at  first  thought  that  a  big  battle 
would  take  place  at  Puebla,  but,  at  the  last  mo- 
ment, Santa  Anna  found  himself  unable  to  get  his 
forces  together,  and  the  Mexican  army  fled  toward 
the  capital,  leaving  the  United  States  troops  mas- 
ters of  the  situation. 

"  We  are  getting  a  walkover,"  said  Ralph,  when 
the  troops  marched  into  Puebla.  "  If  we  take  the 
City  of  Mexico  as  easily  as  we  took  this  town, 
there  will  be  next  to  nothing  for  us  to  do." 

"  Don't  fool  yourself  about  the  City  of  Mexico," 
said  a  soldier  standing  near.  "  That  is  well  forti- 
fied, and,  to  get  inside,  we  will  have  to  do  the 
tallest  kind  of  fighting,"  and  his  words  proved 
true,  as  we  shall  soon  see. 

The  capture  of  Puebla  took  place  on  the  2 2d 
of  May,  and,  as  soon  as  this  occurred,  General 
Scott  moved  his  army  hither,  and  made  the  town 
his  headquarters. 

There  now  occurred  a  long  period  of  rest  to  the 


260  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

soldiers,  lasting  from  the  capture  of  Puebla  to 
the  7th  of  August.  During  this  time  the  army- 
was  recruited  and  many  sick  and  disabled  were 
sent  home,  and  negotiations  were  also  opened  with 
Mexican  authorities  looking  toward  a  speedy  peace. 
But  the  Mexicans  could  not  agree  among  them- 
selves as  to  what  should  be  done ;  and  so  the  war 
went  on. 

The  march  was  now  directly  into  the  mountains 
and  amid  a  wilderness  that  was  almost  bewildering. 
The  army  consisted  of  less  than  eleven  thousand 
men,  and  the  daring  of  this  forward  movement  can 
scarcely  be  estimated.  Even  in  times  of  peace  the 
Mexican  roads  were  never  free  from  brigands  and 
cutthroats,  who  found  the  mountains  excellent 
hiding-places.  Our  soldiers  had  to  be  constantly 
on  the  alert  for  fear  of  an  ambuscade  or  that  the 
enemy  would  run  them  into  some  cul-de-sac,  or 
"pocket,"  and  slaughter  them. 

"This  is  a  wilderness  if  ever  there  was  one," 
said  Ralph,  as  they  trudged  along  through  a  pass 
with  tall  mountains  frowning  down  on  both  sides 
of  them.  "Wonder  if  the  Mexicans  will  have 
nerve  enough  to  hem  us  in  ?  " 

"  More  than  likely  they  are  strengthening  their 
capital,"  answered  Dan.  "That  is  where  they  will 
make  their  grand  stand." 


IN  WHICH  A   DESERTER  FALLS  26 1 

One  route  having  been  found  impassable,  an- 
other was  selected,  and  by  the  eighteenth  of  the 
month  the  army  reached  San  Augustin,  on  the 
Acapulco  road.  Here  came  another  brief  rest, 
welcome  to  our  young  soldiers. 

"  How  far  still  to  the  City  of  Mexico  ? "  asked 
Ralph  one  morning. 

"  Only  about  eight  or  nine  miles,"  answered 
Dan,  who  had  received  the  news  from  one  of  the 
civil  engineers. 

"Then  we  haven't  much  more  travelling  to  do." 

"  No,  after  this  it  will  be  nothing  but  fighting," 
and  Dan  smiled. 

"  Do  you  really  think  we'll  get  much  of  it  ? " 

"  To  be  sure.  Why,  to  the  Mexicans  their  cap- 
ital is  the  dearest  spot  on  earth.  They  will  fight 
like  tigers  to  hold  it." 

"  Have  you  heard  when  we  are  to  attack  ?  " 

"  No.  But  you  can  trust  General  Scott  to  lay 
his  plans  with  skill.  He  hasn't  made  a  mistake 
so  far.  The  whole  campaign  has  been  a  victory 
from  start  to  finish." 

The  forward  movement  was  not  long  delayed, 
and  again  they  found  themselves  on  the  march, 
this  time  climbing  hills  steeper  than  any  yet  trav- 
elled. It  was  hard  work,  and  more  than  one  soldier 
gave  out  and  had  to  drop  to  the  rear. 


262  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

The  soldiers  were  now  marching  over  a  lava 
field  called  by  the  Mexicans  the  Pedregal.  This 
they  did  to  avoid  the  Mexican  fortifications  at 
other  points.  They  were  on  the  road  to  Contre- 
ras,  and  here  an  engagement  took  place  between  a 
United  States  brigade  under  General  Smith  and  a 
Mexican  force  under  General  Valencia.  Contrary 
to  General  Santa  Anna's  orders,  Valencia  had 
shifted  his  position,  and  now  exposed  himself  to 
bitter  defeat  at  our  hands.  The  Mexicans  lost 
over  fifteen  hundred  killed  and  captured,  and  Va- 
lencia himself  fled  to  the  hills.  When  the  report 
of  this  disaster  reached  Santa  Anna,  he  was  furious, 
and  ordered  Valencia  shot  on  sight. 

The  cry  was  now  "  On  to  Churubusco ! "  and 
uniting  his  forces  once  more,  General  Scott  swept 
down  upon  that  doomed  fortification.  Here  was 
an  old  convent  which  had  been  turned  into  a  fort, 
beside  heavy  earthen  works,  all  bristling  with 
cannon. 

"I  understand  Churubusco  is  the  holding-out 
place  for  those  deserters  from  our  side,"  said  Dan, 
on  the  march  forward.  "  Have  you  heard  any- 
thing of  that,  Poke  ? " 

"  I  have.  They  call  themselves  the  St.  Pat- 
rick Guard,  or  somethin'  like  that.  They  ought 
ter  be  hung  fer  going  back  on  Uncle  Sam." 


IN   WHICH  A   DESERTER  FALLS  263 

"  Some  of  them  will  surely  be  shot,  —  if  we  get 
a  chance  to  do  it,"  returned  Dan. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  first  assault  on  the  forti- 
fications took  place.  There  was  a  constant  roar  of 
cannon,  the  shrieking  of  shells,  and  the  rattle  of 
small  arms,  and  this  was  kept  up  for  three  hours. 
Time  and  again  the  Americans  were  driven  back, 
but  they  rallied  again  and  again,  and  at  last  took 
the  outworks  by  a  fierce  hand-to-hand  struggle 
which  brought  many  a  gallant  soldier  low.  It 
was  in  this  onslaught  that  brave  Corporal  Tim  Mc- 
Manus  received  a  bullet  in  the  knee  which  was  the 
means  of  depriving  him  of  that  limb  and  of  com- 
pelling him  to  walk  on  a  wooden  leg  for  the  bal- 
ance of  his  life. 

"But  the  foight  was  worth  it,"  was  what  he 
said  afterward,  with  his  usual  cheerfulness.  "  Sure 
an'  we  gave  thim  greasers  such  a  lickin'  as  they 
niver  got  before  in  their  loives.  'Twas  six  Don- 
nybrook  Fairs  rolled  into  wan,  an'  nothin'  less  ! 
Glory  to  the  day  I  lost  that  leg  fer  Uncle  Sam  !  " 

Dan  was  in  the  midst  of  the  fight,  with  Poke 
beside  him,  when  he  saw  a  dozen  or  more  Ameri- 
cans run  from  one  side  of  the  Mexican  fortification 
to  another.     He  gave  a  cry. 

"  See,  Poke,  by  all  that  is  wonderful !  There  is 
Jack  Bracer  !     And  he  is  firing  on  our  men  !  " 


264  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

Dan  was  right ;  Bracer  it  was  beyond  question. 
The  man  was  pale,  and  his  face  was  full  of  bitter 
hatred. 

"  I'll  fix  him  quick  enough,"  came  from  the  old 
frontiersman,  and  he  raised  his  gun  to  fire. 

But  before  he  could  pull  the  trigger  Jack  Bracer 
suddenly  threw  up  his  hands  and  pitched  headlong 
in  the  tall  grass.  Some  other  soldier  had  saved 
Poke  the  trouble  of  shooting  the  deserter. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

LAST   BATTLES    OF   THE    CAMPAIGN 

It  was  not  until  half  an  hour  after  the  fall  of 
Jack  Bracer  that  a  white  flag  of  truce  appeared  on 
the  wall  of  the  old  convent  and  the  Mexicans  sur- 
rendered—  that  is,  what  was  left  of  them  at  this 
point,  for  many  had  previously  fled  toward  the 
City  of  Mexico.  These  fleeing  ones  were  pursued 
by  cavalry  to  the  very  walls  of  the  city  itself,  and 
the  cavalry  might  have  even  gained  entrance  into 
the  capital,  but  they  were  recalled  by  General 
Scott,  who  did  not  wish  to  see  a  rash  loss  of  life. 

When  an  account  was  taken  of  the  dead, 
wounded,  and  captured,  it  was  found  that  Jack 
Bracer  was  still  alive,  although  the  surgeon  who 
examined  him  said  that  he  could  not  live  more 
than  twenty-four  hours  at  the  most. 

Not  wishing  to  worry  a  dying  man,  Dan  did  not 
attempt  to  speak  to  Bracer,  but  the  latter  asked 
for  him,  having  seen  the  young  soldier  at  a 
distance. 

265 


266  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  They  tell  me  I'm  dying,"  said  Bracer,  with  an 
effort. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  see  you  so  bad,"  said  Dan, 
soberly,  and  he  spoke  the  truth.  "  Can  I  do 
anything  for  you  ?  " 

"  Will  you  do  it  ?  "  And  Bracer  looked  at  him 
suspiciously. 

"  Yes,  Bracer,  I'm  willing  to  do  all  I  can  for 
a  — a  —  " 

"  A  what  ? " 

"  Never  mind.     What  do  you  want  done  ?  " 

"You  were  going  to  say  a  dying  man,  wasn't 
you?" 

"  Yes,  if  you  must  know." 

The  deserter  heaved  a  heavy  sigh.  "  Yes, 
I'm  dying  —  the  surgeon  told  me  so.  Well,  if 
I  didn't  die  they'd  most  likely  shoot  me  any- 
way. But  I  didn't  expect  to  come  to  this,  Rad- 
bury." 

"  What  can  I  do  for  you  ? " 

"I  —  I've  got  a  mother  somewhere  up  in  New 
Orleans.  I  treated  her  shamefully.  Try  to  find 
her  and  tell  her  I  was  sorry  I  did  it ;  and  give  her 
all  that  I've  got  and  anything  that  is  coming  to 
me.  Her  name  is  Martha  Bracer,  widow  of  John 
Bracer.  I  was  named  after  pop,  but  he  was  a  far 
better   man   than    I've   been.     I    think    I've  got 


LAST  BATTLES   OF   THE    CAMPAIGN       267 

money  coming  to  me  —  from  a  man  named  Juan 
Badillo.     Give  that  to  her." 

"  Badillo ! "  cried  Dan.  "  Then  you  know 
him  ? " 

"  So  you  know  him,  too  ? " 

"  Yes,  he  is  a  thief." 

"  I  know  it,  but  he's  got  a  hundred  dollars  of 
my  money  that  I  came  by  honestly.  He's  some- 
where in  the  City  of  Mexico,  I  think." 

"  Did  he  ever  tell  you  where  to  find  him  there  ?" 
asked  Dan,  with  increased  interest. 

"  Yes.  It's  on  a  paper  in  my  pocket.  You  can 
have  it.     Will  you  do  what  I  wish  ?  " 

"  If  I  possibly  can,  Bracer." 

"  Give  me  your  hand  on  it." 

Dan  held  out  his  hand,  and  Jack  Bracer  took 
it  and  slowly  carried  it  to  his  lips  and  kissed  it. 
When  he  started  to  talk  again  there  was  a  lump 
in  his  throat,  and  Dan  was  similarly  affected. 

"  I  know  you'll  do  what  I  wish  —  if  you  can. 
You're  a  good  fellow,  Radbury  —  a  heap  sight 
better'n  me.  Don't  lay  that  trick  I  played  up 
against  me,  will  you  ?  Promise  a  dying  man  you 
won't  do  that." 

"  I  promise  you,  Bracer." 

"  Good  !  That  makes  me  easier.  Now  tell  me 
what  they  did  to  Pellingham." 


268  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

"  He  was  sent  to  prison  and  dishonorably 
discharged." 

"  Poor  Pelly !  I  reckon  I  kind  of  dragged  him 
down.  If  you  ever  meet  him,  tell  him  I  was  sorry 
for  him.  I  don't  blame  nobody  but  myself.  I 
was  always  a  wild  blade,  and  my  mother  told  me 
I  would  end  up  in  prison,  or  something  like  that. 
That's  how  I  came  to  leave  her  —  after  we  had  a 
quarrel  and  I  knocked  her  down.  Oh,  I  wish,  I 
wish  I  hadn't  struck  her !  "  He  gave  something 
like  a  sob.  "  Poor  mother  !  "  And  then  he  broke 
down  utterly. 

Dan  did  what  he  could  to  comfort  the  man,  and 
remained  with  him  for  over  an  hour,  when  he  was 
ordered  out  on  the  picket-line.  When  he  left  he 
carried  a  slip  of  paper  received  from  Bracer,  giv- 
ing the  address  of  a  hostelry  in  the  City  of  Mexico 
at  which  Badillo  had  promised  to  meet  Bracer 
sometime  in  the  near  future,  if  the  issue  of  the 
military  campaign  allowed.  The  deserter  died  at 
sunrise  on  the  following  morning. 

"  It's  a  terrible  way  to  die,"  said  Dan  to  Ralph. 
"  What  a  misspent  life  !  " 

"  If  his  mother  is  alive  she  will  be  glad  to  learn 
that  he  repented,"  answered  the  younger  Radbury. 
"  But,  Dan,  do  you  think  we  can  trace  Juan  the 
Giant  by  that  slip  of  paper  ? " 


LAST  BATTLES  OF   THE    CAMPAIGN       269 

"  Perhaps,  although  I  am  inclined  to  believe  it 
won't  help  us  much.  If  the  giant  really  had  a 
hundred  dollars  of  Bracer's  money,  he  would  most 
likely  keep  out  of  the  way  of  the  fellow." 

As  said  before,  the  army  under  Scott  was 
flushed  with  victory,  and  many  were  in  favor  of 
going  ahead  instantly  and  storming  the  very  city 
itself.  But  the  able  leader  counselled  caution.  He 
did  not  wish  to  spoil  his  series  of  victories  by  any 
error.  Yet  he  knew  the  value  of  striking  while 
the  iron  was  hot. 

While  General  Scott  was  strengthening  his 
position  on  all  sides  of  the  doomed  city,  word 
came  from  Washington  that  negotiations  for  peace 
should  again  be  held  with  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment. Santa  Anna  was  all  too  willing  to  agree  to 
an  armistice,  for  this  would  give  him  time  in  which 
to  reorganize  his  shattered  forces,  obtain  much- 
needed  ammunition,  and  do  many  other  things 
which  seemed  necessary.  The  Mexicans  in  the 
City  of  Mexico  numbered  over  two  hundred  thou- 
sand, and  were  patriotic  to  the  core.  They  will- 
ingly gave  up  some  of  their  largest  church  bells, 
and  these  were  hastily  cast  into  cannon.  Drafting 
went  on  constantly,  and  by  this  means  Santa  Anna 
raised  many  more  soldiers.  To  this  body  were 
added  many  private  citizens  who  did  not  wish  for 


270  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

war  at  all,  but  who  were  dragged  into  it  by  the 
political  leaders. 

The  negotiations  lasted  about  two  weeks,  during 
which  time  our  young  soldiers  had  but  little  to  do 
outside  of  serving  on  the  picket-line.  A  rainy 
spell  was  on,  and  at  times  the  water  came  down 
in  torrents,  accompanied  by  a  fierce  wind  which, 
at  night,  chilled  them  to  the  bone.  Yet  during 
the  middle  of  the  day  it  was  usually  very  warm 
and  at  times  exceedingly  hot.  Such  is  the  change- 
able weather  in  the  mountains  surrounding  the 
capital  of  our  sister  republic. 

"Wall,  this  is  like  gittin'  a  wolf  down  on  his 
back  an'  holdin'  him  thar !  "  growled  Poke,  one 
day.  "Why  don't  the  general  finish  the  job,  I 
wonder  ?  " 

"  He  has  to  obey  orders  from  Washington,  I 
reckon,"  said  Ralph.  "  It  would  be  a  strange 
thing  if  the  Mexicans  gave  in  without  another 
fight,  wouldn't  it  ?  " 

"  I  don't  believe  they  will  give  in,"  put  in  Dan. 
"  Santa  Anna  is  too  hot-headed.  It  will  be  a  good 
job  done  when  he  is  turned  out  of  office.  Mexico 
will  never  have  any  peace  while  he  is  around." 

At  last  General  Scott  discovered  what  the 
Mexicans  were  doing,  and  fearful  now  for  his  own 
safety,  he  sent  word  that  they  must  make  up  their 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE    CAMPAIGN       2JI 

minds  as  to  what  they  wished  to  do,  otherwise  he 
would  begin  bombarding  the  city  the  next  day. 
Then  the  answer  came  back  that  the  Mexicans 
would  surrender  nothing. 

"  It's  war  to  the  finish !  "  cried  Dan,  when  the 
news  was  circulated.  "Now  I  rather  think  we'll 
see  some  tall  fighting." 

The  answer  from  Santa  Anna  came  in  on  Sep- 
tember 7th,  and  General  Scott  lost  no  time  in 
moving  upon  the  enemy.  He  had  learned  that 
the  western  side  of  the  capital  was  less  strongly 
fortified  than  the  south  side,  and  now  moved  in  the 
former  direction. 

This  brought  our  army  in  contact  with  three 
fortified  positions  of  the  enemy  :  El  Molino  del 
Ray  (The  King's  Mill),  La  Casa  Mata,  and  Cha- 
pultepec,  the  last  named  a  rocky  height  upon  which 
rested  a  castle-like  fortification. 

The  King's  Mill  was  the  first  stronghold  to  be 
attacked.  General  Worth's  division  went  to  the 
front,  and  with  this  went  the  commands  to  which 
Ralph,  Dan,  and  the  old  frontiersman  were  at- 
tached. At  first  a  number  of  twenty-four  pounders 
opened  on  the  fort,  followed  by  an  advance  of  our 
batteries,  and  then  began  a  general  assault  which 
was  fierce  in  the  extreme. 

"  Forward,  boys  !  "  came  the  cry.     "  Forward  !  " 


272  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

And  then  some  old  Texan  would  add  :  "  Shoot  'em 
down  to  a  man  !  Remember  the  Alamo  !  Remem- 
ber the  Alamo!"  That  bloody  contest,  described 
in  the  first  book  of  this  series,  "  For  the  Liberty 
of  Texas,"  was  never  to  be  forgotten  by  them. 

Once  again  Ralph  and  Dan  found  themselves 
in  the  storm  of  battle,  and  right  well  did  they  acquit 
themselves.  Shot  and  shell  were  hurled  on  every 
side,  and  in  spots  the  very  ground  was  torn  up  to 
a  depth  of  two  and  three  feet.  Bullets  whistled 
unpleasantly  close,  and  Ralph  received  a  painful, 
but  not  serious  nip  in  the  left  shoulder  while  in 
the  final  assault.  Dan  had  his  face  slightly  burnt 
by  some  powder  from  a  gun  which  was  discharged 
within  a  few  feet  of  him. 

But  victory  was  in  the  hands  of  the  United 
States  troops,  and  soon  the  Mexicans  were  run- 
ning in  the  direction  of  the  capital,  taking  what- 
ever they  could  carry  with  them. 

In  the  meantime  other  of  our  troops  had  ad- 
vanced in  the  direction  of  La  Casa  Mata.  This 
was  an  exceedingly  strong  fortress,  and  for  some 
time  it  looked  as  if  it  would  withstand  every  as- 
sault made  upon  it,  and  the  Americans  were  driven 
back  time  and  again.  But  with  the  fall  of  The 
King's  Mill  more  troops  were  turned  in  the  direc- 
tion of  La  Casa  Mata.     Every  available  cannon 


LAST  BATTLES  OF  THE   CAMPAIGN       273 

was  trained  on  the  fortress,  and  in  such  a  manner 
that  to  send  succor  from  the  city  itself  would  have 
proven  suicidal.  Hemmed  in  and  subjected  to  a 
fierce  cannonading,  La  Casa  Mata  at  last  sur- 
rendered. 

The  battle  had  started  at  dawn,  and  at  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning  it  was  over.  Only  four 
thousand  of  our  troops  had  taken  part,  while  the 
Mexicans  numbered  ten  thousand.  In  killed  and 
wounded  we  lost  about  eight  hundred  men,  or  one 
in  five.  By  this  my  young  readers  can  see  what 
really  bloody  battles  these  contests  were.  The 
Mexican  loss  was  much  larger  than  our  own. 

Many  of  the  soldiers  and  officers  were  for 
moving  directly  on  the  city,  but  again  General 
Scott  called  a  halt,  and  during  the  night  of  Sep- 
tember nth  he  constructed  three  batteries  within 
reach  of  Chapultepec,  and  the  next  day  the  castle 
on  the  heights  was  vigorously  bombarded.  The 
Mexicans  returned  the  fire,  but  with  little  effect. 

"  We  are  going  to  storm  the  castle  ! "  was  the 
cry  that  went  the  rounds,  and  it  proved  true. 
Everything  was  arranged  carefully,  and  at  sunrise 
the  next  day  the  bombardment  was  renewed  with 
increased  vigor.  But  at  eight  o'clock  the  batteries 
stopped  firing  and  the  advance  was  led  by  General 
Pillow's  division,  the  daring  troops  rushing  up  the 


274  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

steep  sides  of  the  hill  in  the  face  of  a  very  storm 
of  bullets.  The  soldiers  carried  with  them  long 
scaling-ladders,  which  were  quickly  placed  against 
the  walls  of  the  castle,  and  into  the  fortification 
swarmed  our  men,  regardless  of  the  efforts  made 
by  the  Mexicans  to  keep  them  out. 

In  this  assault  Dan  and  Poke  were  ordered  for- 
ward with  the  rest,  while  Ralph  marched  by  an- 
other route  —  the  causeway  and  aqueduct  of  San 
Cosme  —  toward  the  city  itself. 

"  Up  ye  go  ! "  cried  Poke,  when  the  ladder  was 
placed  against  the  high  wall,  and  up  went  Dan  to 
the  top,  with  Poke  not  far  below  him,  and  others 
following. 

Dan's  head  came  over  the  wall,  when  three 
Mexicans  discovered  the  ladder.  With  a  howl  of 
rage  one  of  the  Mexicans  leaped  forward  and 
caught  hold  of  the  top  of  the  ladder.  The  others 
followed,  and  all  three  gave  both  Dan  and  his 
foothold  a  vigorous  shove,  intending  to  hurl  both 
backward  to  the  bottom  of  the  high  hill. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

THE    FALL    OF    THE    CITY CONCLUSION 

For  the  moment  it  looked  as  if  Dan  and  his 
companions  would  be  thrown  to  their  death  on 
the  jagged  rocks  at  the  foot  of  Chapultepec  hill. 

But  the  young  soldier  had  his  wits  about  him, 
and,  what  was  more  to  the  point,  had  his  gun  in 
one  hand  ready  for  use. 

As  the  leading  Mexican  came  at  him,  he  raised 
the  gun  slightly  with  one  hand,  and  let  drive. 

The  shot  struck  the  Mexican  full  in  the  face, 
and  down  he  went  with  a  yell,  probably  the  last 
sound  he  ever  made  on  earth. 

Then  the  ladder  began  to  slide  sideways,  and  all 
had  to  look  where  they  were  going.  But  it  did 
not  go  far,  for  Poke,  who  had  a  rope  and  hook  in 
his  hands,  threw  the  hook  upward,  and  stayed  its 
progress. 

By  this  time  others  were  pouring  into  the  fort 
from  each  side  of  our  friends,  and  the  Mexicans 
were  hurled  backward,  while  large  numbers  were 
275 


276  UNDER   SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

shot  down.  Soon  the  ladder  was  again  in  position, 
and  up  they  went  with  a  rush,  and  did  their  full 
share  toward  driving  the  Mexicans  out. 

It  was  a  hard-fought  battle,  and  one  which  Dan 
never  forgot.  In  the  contest,  Poke  was  severely 
wounded  in  the  side,  so  that,  from  that  day  on,  the 
gallant  frontiersman  never  felt  as  strong  and  sturdy 
as  formerly.  He  fell,  and  it  was  Dan  who  saw  to 
it  that  he  was  carried  out  of  the  melee,  and  cared 
for  with  all  tenderness. 

The  Mexicans  had  mined  the  fort,  intending,  if 
necessary,  to  blow  the  stronghold  up.  But  so 
rapidly  did  our  troops  enter,  this  plan  was  frus- 
trated, our  soldiers  shooting  down  the  enemy  just 
as  the  matches  were  about  to  be  applied.  General 
Bravo  did  his  best  to  save  the  fort,  but  this  was 
utterly  impossible,  and,  in  the  end,  he  and  his 
soldiers  —  or  what  was  left  of  them  —  had  to 
surrender. 

Along  the  aqueduct  the  troops  under  General 
Worth  had  no  easy  time  of  it,  and,  as  soon  as  the 
highway  was  gained,  the  soldiers  sustained  a  fierce 
assault  from  housetops  and  other  points  of  vantage. 
But  they  fought  onward,  Ralph  with  the  rest,  and 
soon  Worth  established  himself  in  a  position  from 
which  the  Mexicans  found  it  impossible  to  drive 
him. 


THE  FALL    OF   THE    CLTY  27*] 

Santa  Anna  now  realized  that  the  end  was  at 
hand,  and  that  he  could  not  make  good  his  boast 
that  no  United  States  invader  should  ever  drive 
him  from  the  capital  of  his  beloved  country.  He 
immediately  made  preparations  to  depart  with  his 
soldiers,  and  the  retreat  began  at  midnight.  Be- 
fore going,  this  wily  general  released  all  the  con- 
victs in  the  prisons,  so  as  to  give  our  troops  as 
much  trouble  as  possible  when  the  city  should  fall 
into  their  hands. 

As  soon  as  Santa  Anna  had  deserted  the  city, 
a  committee  waited  upon  General  Scott  to  arrange 
terms  of  capitulation.  But  they  wanted  too  much 
in  their  favor,  and  our  commander  would  not  agree, 
and  sent  forward  the  troops,  under  Generals  Worth 
and  Quitman,  to  move  into  the  capital  proper  with- 
out delay.  In  this  forward  movement,  General 
Worth  was  halted  at  the  Alameda,  several  squares 
from  the  Plaza,  or  grand  square,  but  General  Quit- 
man was  allowed  the  honor  of  marching  to  the 
grand  palace,  where  he  hoisted  the  stars  and  stripes. 

"That's  the  end  of  this  war,"  said  Ralph,  when 
the  news  was  circulated  that  our  flag  floated  from 
the  Mexican  government  building.  "  General  Santa 
Anna  will  never  recover  from  this  blow."  And  he 
was  right,  although  several  engagements  of  minor 
importance  occurred  later  on. 


278  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

As  mentioned  previously,  Santa  Anna  had  liber- 
ated the  convicts  of  the  city  prisons,  and  these 
now  undertook  to  shoot  down  persons  and  steal 
whenever  the  opportunity  offered.  As  soon  as 
General  Scott  marched  into  the  place,  he  set  to 
work  to  restore  peace  and  order,  and  in  this  the 
better  class  of  citizens  aided  him.  The  convicts 
were  hunted  vigorously,  martial  law  was  pro- 
claimed, and  soon  a  peace  was  restored  which  the 
Mexicans  had  not  known  for  years. 

The  work  of  bringing  the  convicts  to  justice  was 
dangerous,  if  not  full  of  glory,  yet  our  young  sol- 
diers did  not  shirk  from  whatever  duty  in  this 
regard  they  were  called  upon  to  do.  In  this  ser- 
vice the  commands  to  which  Dan  and  Ralph  were 
attached  were  united,  so  the  brothers  saw  a  good 
deal  of  each  other. 

"  And  now,  what  about  Juan  the  Giant  and  Jose 
Toletto  ?  "  questioned  Ralph,  one  afternoon. 

"  I  am  going  to  look  for  them  to-morrow," 
answered  Dan.  "  Our  captain  has  offered  me 
the  assistance  of  a  squad  of  men  for  that  pur- 
pose." 

Ralph  immediately  applied  for  and  obtained 
permission  to  go  along,  and  the  hunt  for  the 
evil-doers  began  after  breakfast  on  the  day 
following. 


THE  FALL    OF  THE    CITY  279 

For  several  hours  nothing  could  be  learned  con- 
cerning either  of  the  men,  but,  in  this  search,  Dan 
ran  across  Stella  Plassa,  the  sister  of  the  Mexican 
who  had  been  murdered  in  the  hut.  He  found  her 
much  excited  over  the  military  situation.  She  had 
already  heard  of  the  murder  of  her  brother,  and, 
when  told  that  Juan  Badillo  was  guilty,  grew 
furious. 

"Yes,  yes,  we  must  catch  him  by  all  means," 
she  said,  in  Spanish.  "  I  shall  not  rest  easy  until 
justice  has  been  done  me." 

She  knew  the  neighborhood  mentioned  on  the 
slip  of  paper  given  to  Dan  by  Jack  Bracer,  and 
willingly  guided  the  soldiers  to  it.  There  was  a 
dirty-looking  hotel,  and  next  to  it  an  old  building 
used  as  a  second-rate  horse  market. 

As  they  approached  the  hotel,  they  saw  two 
men  come  forth  and  enter  the  open  doorway  of 
the  horse  market.  One  of  the  individuals  was 
Juan  Badillo. 

"The  giant  !"  cried  Dan,  and  immediately  mo- 
tioned the  men  behind  him  to  halt.  Then  he  took 
the  men  around  a  corner  of  the  building. 

"  I  want  to  surprise  that  rascal  if  I  can,"  he 
said,  to  one  of  the  soldiers.  "  Wait  here  until  I 
whistle  or  you  hear  a  pistol-shot.  Mason,  you  can 
come  along.     You  understand  Spanish." 


280  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

This  was  agreed  upon,  and,  taking  Ralph  and 
Mason  with  him,  Dan  walked  cautiously  into  the 
horse  market  by  a  side  door. 

The  place  was  almost  deserted,  and  nobody 
noticed  the  entrance  of  the  two  Radburys  and 
Mason.  The  place  was  divided  into  numerous 
compartments,  and  by  listening  closely  they  heard 
Juan  the  Giant  and  his  companion  talking  in  a  low 
tone  of  voice  in  a  room  not  far  off.  They  tiptoed 
their  way  in  that  direction. 

"  What  did  you  want  to  bring  me  here  for, 
Toletto  ?  "  they  heard  Badillo  ask. 

"  Because  there  are  too  many  eavesdroppers  in 
the  hotel,"  was  the  answer  from  Jose  Toletto,  for 
the  second  individual  was  indeed  Inez  Morales's 
miserly  uncle  and  guardian. 

"  I'd  rather  stay  where  I  could  have  a  drink," 
growled  the  giant. 

"  I  shall  not  keep  you  long,"  went  on  Jose 
Toletto.  "  I  have  a  plan  whereby  you  can  make 
some  money,  and  that  quickly." 

"  Then  let  me  have  the  plan  by  all  means." 

"  I  want  you  to  go  to  the  city  hall  with  me  and 
swear  to  certain  papers.  Do  that  and  I  will  give 
you  five  hundred  dollars." 

"  What  do  you  want  me  to  swear  to  ?  " 

"To    papers  which    state  that    my  niece,  Inez 


THE  FALL    OF   THE    CITY  28 1 

Morales,  wilfully  drowned  herself  in  the  Rio 
Grande  River." 

"  Ha !  so  you  must  have  such  a  paper,  and  sworn 
to,  before  you  can  get  her  money,"  cried  Juan  the 
Giant,  craftily. 

"  It  will  make  it  easier  for  me,  that  is  all." 

"  But  if  the  girl  isn't  dead  —  " 

"  She  is  dead,  no  doubt  of  that,  Badillo.  I  saw 
her  drown  myself." 

"  Five  hundred  dollars  is  not  enough.  Make  it 
double  that  and  I  will  sign  the  papers." 

There  was  some  haggling,  and  finally  Jose 
Toletto  consented  to  give  Badillo  the  price  he 
demanded. 

"  What  are  they  saying  ? "  whispered  Dan  to 
Mason,  and  in  a  few  words  the  soldier  who  under- 
stood Spanish  explained. 

"  By  his  own  talk  Jose  Toletto  has  exposed  him- 
self," said  Dan,  with  a  smile.  "  He  has  proved 
that  he  is  unfit  to  be  Inez  Morales's  guardian, 
even  if  it  isn't  proven  that  he  ought  to  be 
in  jail.  Ralph,  I  reckon  we  had  better  capture 
them." 

"  Just  what  I  say,"  returned  the  younger  Rad- 
bury. 

Mason  was  ordered  to  return  to  the  soldiers  and 
see  that  the  horse  market  was  surrounded.     Then 


282  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

he  came  back,  bringing  the  biggest  men  of  the 
squad  with  him. 

When  confronted  by  the  Radburys  and  their 
friends,  Juan  the  Giant  was  almost  struck  dumb. 

"  You  !  you  !  "  he  faltered,  and  for  the  moment 
could  say  no  more. 

"  Yes,  Badillo,  and  you  can  consider  yourself 
a  prisoner,"  replied  Dan,  coolly,  and  covered  the 
giant  with  his  gun,  while  Mason  covered  Jose 
Toletto. 

"  What  does  this  mean  ? "  asked  Inez  Morales'* 
guardian,  turning  deathly  pale. 

"  It  means  you  are  also  under  arrest,"  said 
Mason,  in  Spanish. 

"  But  I  have  done  nothing,"  insisted  Jose 
Toletto,  but  his  voice  shook  so  he  could  scarcely 
frame  the  words. 

"This  man  has  something  to  say  about  that," 
said  Mason,  and  nodded  toward  Dan. 

"  But  he  is  a  stranger  to  me." 

"  He  is  no  stranger  to  Inez  Morales,  your  niece. 
He  is  her  friend  and  is  here  in  her  interests,"  went 
on  Mason,  who  had  heard  a  portion  of  Dan's  story. 

"  She  —  she  —  is  dead." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it.  She  is  as  well  as  you  are  — 
and  likely  to  hold  on  to  her  money  for  a  good 
many  years  to  come." 


THE  FALL    OF  THE    CITY  283 

"I  won't  be  taken  !  "  came  suddenly  from  Juan 
the  Giant,  and  leaping  forward,  he  dashed  Dan's 
gun  aside,  so  that  the  bullet  merely  grazed  his 
arm.  Then  in  a  twinkle  he  leaped  for  the  open 
doorway  and  started  to  run  across  the  street. 

"After  him  !  shoot  him  ! "  came  from  both  Dan 
and  Ralph,  and  in  a  moment  more  three  gunshots 
rang  out,  and  Juan  the  Giant  fell  to  the  pave- 
ment, with  a  bullet  in  his  arm  and  two  bullets  in 
his  legs.  When  he  was  picked  up  he  was  groan- 
ing dismally,  and  the  fight  had  gone  out  of  him 
completely. 

Jose  Toletto  was  too  much  of  a  coward  to 
resist,  and  fell  on  his  knees  in  his  plea  for  mercy. 
He  was  placed  under  arrest  and  marched  to  the 
the  soldiers'  headquarters,  while  an  ambulance  was 
ordered  up  to  take  Juan  Badillo  to  the  hospital. 
The  giant  remained  at  the  hospital  for  many  months, 
and  when  he  did  come  forth  it  was  to  be  tried  and 
sent  to  a  Mexican  prison  a  terrible  cripple,  with 
one  arm  and  one  leg  missing. 

When  placed  under  a  close  cross-examination, 
Jose  Toletto  broke  down  utterly  and  had  to 
confess  how  he  had  treated  Inez  Morales,  and  how 
he  had  plotted  to  make  her  inheritance  his  own. 
He  wanted  to  continue  as  her  guardian,  and 
promised  to  do  better  in  the  future,  but  no  one 


284  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

in  court  would  listen  to  this,  and  in  the  end  he 
was  made  to  resign  and  give  a  strict  accounting  of 
every  dollar  which  had  passed  through  his  hands. 
For  a  new  guardian  Inez  Morales  chose  Sefior 
Ramon,  with  whom  she  was  still  stopping,  and  he 
proved  to  be  as  kind  and  honorable  as  one  would 
desire. 

The  laying  low  of  Juan  the  Giant  was  a  satis- 
faction to  Stella  Plassa,  and  she  smiled  grimly  to 
herself  when  she  learned  that  he  had  not  been 
executed,  but  that  he  was  to  spend  twenty  years 
in  prison  instead.  "  As  such  a  cripple  he  can  get 
nothing  out  of  life,"  she  said.  "  Let  the  wretch 
live  and  grow  sour.  I  am  satisfied."  But  Juan 
the  Giant  was  getting  old,  and  the  crippling  had 
made  him  very  feeble,  and  he  died  in  prison  while 
he  had  still  eight  years  to  serve. 

When  caught,  Juan  the  Giant  had  a  little  over 
three  hundred  dollars  on  his  person.  Part  of  this 
went  to  Stella  Plassa  for  payment  on  the  horse  the 
rascal  had  stolen  from  her  brother,  part  went  to 
Jack  Bracer's  estate,  and  was  later  on  forwarded 
to  Mrs.  Bracer,  who  still  lived  in  New  Orleans,  and 
the  remainder  came  to  the  Radburys.  When  Dan 
sent  Mrs.  Bracer  her  money,  he  did  not  forget  to 
forward  with  it  a  long  letter,  telling  how  her  son 
Jack  had   died    and    what  he   had  said,  and   this 


THE  FALL   OF  THE   CITY  285 

proved  as  much  of  a  comfort  to  the  old  woman  as 
did  the  money. 

"  Well,  the  war  seems  to  be  over,  and  we  have 
likewise  finished  up  with  our  enemies,"  said  Ralph 
one  day.     "  For  my  part  I  would  like  to  go  home." 

"  And  I  am  with  you,"  answered  Dan,  readily. 
"  I  have  seen  enough  of  fighting  for  the  present. 
I'd  just  as  leave  do  a  little  ploughing,  or  ride  over 
the  cattle  range." 

"Or  take  it  easy  by  the  fireside,"  put  in  Poke, 
whom  they  were  visiting  in  the  hospital.  "  Yes, 
the  war  is  over,  and  General  Scott  has  won,  and 
now  let  us  all  go  home,  say  I." 

A  few  words  more  and  I  will  bring  to  a  finish 
this  tale  of  military  adventures  while  fighting 
"  Under  Scott  in  Mexico." 

The  war  was  indeed  over,  and  with  the  fall  of 
the  City  of  Mexico  the  Mexican  authorities  were 
more  than  willing  to  sue  for  peace,  and  upon  our 
terms.  There  was  a  gala  time  in  all  of  our  States 
when  peace  was  at  last  announced,  and  cannons 
boomed,  bells  rang,  and  bonfires  blazed  broadly 
everywhere.  By  the  terms  of  peace  Mexico  not 
only  gave  up  her  hold  on  Texas,  but  likewise  all 
of  her  interests  in  New  Mexico  and  Lower  Cali- 
fornia.    About  this    time  gold  was  discovered  in 


286  UNDER  SCOTT  IN  MEXICO 

California,  and  then  began  the  grand  rush  to  the 
gold  fields,  and  California  was  speedily  transformed 
from  little  better  than  a  wilderness  into  a  rich  and 
populous  State. 

While  in  the  City  of  Mexico  the  Radburys 
received  several  letters  from  home  which  made 
them  more  than  anxious  to  get  away.  At  last 
they  were  mustered  out  of  the  service,  and  with 
Poke,  started  on  their  journey  for  home,  first, 
however,  bidding  all  of  their  army  friends  an 
affectionate  farewell. 

At  the  ranch  they  received  a  royal  welcome,  not 
only  from  their  father,  but  also  from  the  Fieldings 
and  numerous  others  who  had  gathered  to  do  them 
honor.  Oliver  Fielding  had  entirely  recovered 
the  use  of  his  eyes,  and  the  celebration  the  boys 
held  was  one  long  to  be  remembered.  Stories 
had  to  be  told  and  retold  many  times.  Amos 
Radbury    was    highly    pleased. 

"Boys,  you  have  both  done  our  name  credit," 
said  he.     "  I  am  proud  of  you." 

And  here  I  will  skip  over  a  few  years.  After 
the  excitement  was  over,  Ralph  and  Dan  settled 
down  to  work  on  the  ranch  in  earnest,  and  by  the 
advice  of  their  father  they  added  five  hundred 
acres  of  ground  to  the  range,  which  Mr.  Radbury 
deeded   jointly   to  both  of  them.     Dan  began   a 


THE  FALL    OF  THE    CITY  287 

regular  correspondence  with  Inez  Morales,  and 
soon  this  ripened  into  more  than  friendship,  with 
the  result  that  the  young  ranchman  journeyed  to 
Mexico  one  spring  and  returned  with  Inez  as  his 
bride.  In  the  meantime  Ralph  had  not  forgotten 
his  old-time  friend  Alice  Fielding,  and  two  years 
later  the  pair  were  married  at  the  Fielding  home- 
stead, so  that  Ollie  became  Ralph's  brother-in-law. 

"And  he  is  just  the  fellow  I  wanted,"  said 
Ollie.     "  He's  the  best  chum  in  the  world." 

"The  Radburys  are  all  right,"  said  Poke,  who 
was  now  living  with  them,  having  settled  down  to 
take  it  easy  in  his  old  age.  "  The  best  boys  in 
Texas,  barring  none  !  " 

And  here  let  us  leave  all  of  our  friends  and  say 
good-by. 


THE    END. 


